Once a KKR stronghold, Eden Gardens has turned into a source of stress. The team has now lost three of its four home games this season, unable to capitalise on home advantage or crowd support.
The dream run of IPL 2024 feels like a distant memory for the Kolkata Knight Riders, defending champions now mired in a 2025 nightmare.
Their season has unravelled alarmingly, marked by five defeats in eight outings, including three at their beloved Eden Gardens. The 39-run thrashing by the Gujarat Titans on Monday at home only served to highlight the profound issues plaguing the franchise.
While KKR managed to retain most of their championship-winning squad, the crucial losses of skipper Shreyas Iyer and dynamic opener Phil Salt have seemingly created a void. The current team appears a shadow of the cohesive and dominant force of last year.
Shreyas Iyer’s Exit
Just as baffling was the decision to release title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer before the 2025 season. Despite KKR retaining six players, Shreyas wasn’t among them — a shock that left fans and experts scratching their heads. The situation turned murky with conflicting statements from both sides: while KKR CEO Venky Mysore claimed the franchise and Iyer failed to reach a “mutual agreement,” Shreyas countered that he received no communication at all from the team.
To add to the drama, KKR reportedly stopped bidding for him at Rs 10 crore in the auction, only to spend 23.75 crore on Venkatesh Iyer. Shreyas was eventually bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 26.75 crore — the second-highest price in IPL history — and to add salt to KKR’s wounds, Shreyas has since been in sublime form, scoring 263 runs in eight matches at an average of 43.83 with three half-centuries.
His calm leadership and form are sorely missed in the KKR camp.
Venkatesh Iyer’s Price Tag and Performance Don't Match
One of KKR’s biggest miscalculations this season has been the Rs 23.75 crore acquisition of Venkatesh Iyer in the mega auction. Touted to be a marquee signing, he’s been anything but.
His innings of 14 off 19 against GT in a 199-run chase epitomised the sluggishness that’s plagued his game. With a strike rate of just 73.68 and no boundaries in that innings, Venkatesh added pressure on his partner Ajinkya Rahane, who had to take risks to keep the scoreboard moving.
In total, Venkatesh has managed just 129 runs in eight games at a modest average of 25.80 — dismal returns for a player carrying such a hefty price tag.
Batting Order Misfires and Tactical Chaos
Rahmanullah Gurbaz's early dismissal in the latest match against GT set the tone for another forgettable batting performance. While Rahane held the innings together with a fifty, he found little support.
Andre Russell sparkled briefly but was dismissed by the returning Rashid Khan.
A telling statistic: KKR went 36 deliveries without a boundary in the middle overs against Gujarat — a sign of tactical confusion and poor shot selection. Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who has shown promise, bizarrely came in at No. 9 with the game virtually lost.
Over-Reliance on Russell and Rinku Proving Costly
Kolkata Knight Riders continue to lean heavily on Andre Russell and Rinku Singh to deliver game-changing heroics at the death -- a strategy that’s beginning to backfire.
Against Gujarat Titans, Russell showed promise with a quick 21, but his dismissal to Rashid Khan came at a critical juncture when KKR desperately needed him to anchor the chase. Rinku, meanwhile, has struggled to rediscover the magic of IPL 2023. Without their late-order fireworks, the KKR batting lineup looks painfully one-dimensional and ordinary.
The burden on this duo to rescue the team time and again is not only unsustainable -- it’s becoming predictable.
Pitch Controversy
KKR’s reliance on their spinners — Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Moeen Ali — has not borne fruit, and part of the blame may lie off the field.
After the season-opening loss to RCB, captain Ajinkya Rahane publicly expressed frustration over not getting the spin-friendly track the team had requested at Eden Gardens. The pitch curator, Sujan Mukherjee, responded sharply that “no franchise will dictate terms” to him -- comments that sparked controversy.
The tension between KKR management and Mukherjee only grew, especially after reports suggested the franchise was unhappy with his refusal to prepare a spin-assisting wicket.
Ironically, KKR’s spinners then failed to deliver even on a seemingly helpful surface against GT -- collectively going wicketless and conceding 96 runs in 11 overs. Their inability to apply pressure with the ball continues to haunt the side.
Once a KKR stronghold, Eden Gardens has turned into a source of stress. The team has now lost three of its four home games this season, unable to capitalise on home advantage or crowd support. Whether it’s due to the pitch controversy, tactical missteps, or underperforming players, the disconnection between KKR’s plans and results is widening by the match.
For KKR, IPL 2025 is slipping away rapidly. They need more than just a few tactical tweaks -- they need clarity of leadership and bold but sensible changes in their playing XI.
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