Rajasthan Royals fell prey to the notorious Kolkata Knight Riders spin attack in their first home match of the season at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. After a solid start of 33/0 in 3.5 overs, their innings rapidly spiraled to a dreadful 82/5 by the 11th over.
While it wasn’t entirely unexpected given Kolkata’s usual dominance with the ball, the surprise came from the fact that Sunil Narine was absent, having been ruled unwell before the game. However, the shock faded quickly as his replacement, Moeen Ali, showed he could be just as effective as the West Indies legend on his day.
Moeen, who was handed his KKR cap by mentor Dwayne Bravo before the match after being bought at auction for INR 2 crores, made an immediate impact. In the ninth over, he dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had begun to settle at the crease. But it was his second wicket that truly caught the attention of the cricketing world.
In the 10th over, with southpaw Nitish Rana — KKR’s skipper during their seventh-place finish in 2022 — at the crease, Moeen bowled a length delivery on leg stump, enticing Rana to create room for a shot.
However, as Rana tried to open the face of his bat and glide the ball to third man, the Kookaburra turned sharply off the deck, beating the outside edge and hitting the stumps to end a frustrating eight-ball knock.
— david Miller (@MillerDavi20894) March 26, 2025
Twitter was abuzz with praise for the Englishman, acknowledging his ability to deliver consistently, even in the later stages of his distinguished career.