{"id":298043,"date":"2025-05-05T11:52:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T11:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/05\/kkr-have-to-sort-that-middle-order-out-if-they-have-to-win-ipl-2025-says-ambati-rayudu\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T11:52:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T11:52:44","slug":"kkr-have-to-sort-that-middle-order-out-if-they-have-to-win-ipl-2025-says-ambati-rayudu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/05\/kkr-have-to-sort-that-middle-order-out-if-they-have-to-win-ipl-2025-says-ambati-rayudu\/","title":{"rendered":"KKR have to ‘sort that middle order out’ if they have to win IPL 2025, says Ambati Rayudu"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"KKR<\/div>


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Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Rajasthan Royals by one run at Eden Gardens to register a second consecutive win in IPL 2025 for the first time. Former CSK batter Ambati Rayudu feels KKR have to get their middle order sorted if they have to win the title this year.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n New Delhi: <\/span><\/p>\n

Kolkata Knight Riders scraped through a high-scoring thriller against Rajasthan Royals when they romped home by one run defending 206 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday, May 4. Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer<\/a> had resurrected the dwindling hopes of the RR fans with their 92-run stand for the sixth wicket after the visitors were reeling at 71\/5.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harshit Rana was the cornerstone in turning things around for the Knight Riders with wickets of Hetmyer (29 off 23 balls) and Parag (95 off 45 deliveries) in his successive overs in the 16th and the 18th. While Rana forged a fightback with the ball, Andre Russell had set up the win earlier with the bat.<\/p>\n

Russell answered an SOS call to revive the struggling middle order, which has copped the criticism for KKR’s struggle with the bat. Russell’s 25-ball 57 turned the clock as he manoeuvred his knock with six sixes and four fours. He was pushed above the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Ramandeep Singh and the dividends were paid off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With Russell doing the work in the middle, former Chennai Super Kings batter Ambati Rayudu<\/a> feels that KKR need to sort that middle order out if they have to be a title-winning team and defend their crown.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But “that middle period, they really need to sharpen up, they need to step up if they have to compete against the big teams that are doing well this season,” Rayudu said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “If they have to win the championship again, they have to really sort that middle order out.”<\/p>\n

While Russell changed things with the bat in the middle, he is capable of turning the tables around with the ball too. He has seven wickets in eight matches in IPL<\/a> 2025 and has the knack of getting crucial wickets at important junctures. Rayudu reflected on that too.<\/p>\n

“In terms of their bowling changes, they have to be better. I don’t know why Russell hasn’t bowled today (he bowled one over in the 19th in the second innings),” Rayudu said. “Russell is a wicket-taker. Even if he goes for runs, when you are 75 for 5, you want to get somebody in there who can get you those wickets. He’s always been a wicket-taker. So I think that’s one area where [Ajinkya] Rahane has to seriously look at.”<\/p>\n

KKR’s campaign is now back on track as their one-run win over RR is the first time that they have won back-to-back games in the season. They have 11 points from 11 matches and face CSK, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) next in the league stage<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n