"I feel KKR are out" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's playoff prospects after IPL 2025 loss vs GT

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has opined that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won't qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs. He noted that the defending champions, much like the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), are on the verge of elimination.

KKR suffered a 39-run loss against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 39 of IPL 2025 in Kolkata on Monday, April 21. With six points from eight games, the three-time champions are placed seventh on the points table and might need to win five of their remaining six league-phase matches to harbor hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener expressed pessimism about the Kolkata Knight Riders' playoff qualification prospects.

"I feel KKR are out and GT are through. KKR, the truth is that you are not going anywhere. Your batting is failing repeatedly. Technically, they can also qualify, but they will not qualify. They and CSK are standing next to the exit door. The confirmation will come after a few days," he said.

Chopra noted that KKR might consider Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh's lack of runs as one of the main reasons for their precarious situation.

"When they think, they won't even understand what happened. The direction in which they see might not be the reason. They will see that Russell, Rinku and Ramandeep didn't score runs, maybe that is the reason, or (Sunil) Narine's bat didn't fire that much and they missed Phil Salt as an opener, as (Ajinkya) Rahane has been scoring runs in any case," he observed.

However, the former KKR player added that Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer's slow batting was primarily responsible for their loss in Monday's game.

"It seems like Rahane is fine, but the template that they set has spoiled everything. They just do not look the same side. It's not that Ajju is not playing well, but not good enough based on what this team's setup needs. You are leaving too much for too late. Venky got stuck in between. When you are chasing 200, you need to run at a minimum strike rate of 150-170," Chopra elaborated.

KKR were restricted to 159/8 in pursuit of a 199-run target in their IPL 2025 clash against GT. While Ajinkya Rahane scored 50 runs off 36 deliveries, Venkatesh Iyer consumed 19 balls for his 14 runs, with the duo adding 41 runs for the third wicket in six overs when the required run rate was mounting.

---

"GT's template has become the world's best template" - Aakash Chopra on GT's batting approach in IPL 2025 win vs KKR

Shubman Gill's 90-run knock helped GT set a challenging target in their IPL 2025 clash against KKR. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on the Gujarat Titans' batting, Aakash Chopra noted that their template of at least one among Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler batting deep into their innings has yielded them rich dividends.

"GT's template has become the world's best template. It seems risky, but it works every time. Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler would play more than 15 overs, and that's what they do match after match and against different oppositions. They haven't changed a bit," he said in the same video.

While observing that the top three batters made crucial contributions in Monday's game, the cricketer-turned-commentator attributed GT's success to their distinct approach, Gill's captaincy, and Ashish Nehra's guidance as head coach.

"Shubman Gill scored a lot of runs. Sai Sudharsan also scored a fifty. Jos Buttler got a life, but he too scored runs, and in the end, they scored enough runs to win the game easily. Their playing style is praiseworthy. I feel they will definitely make it, and this is courtesy their unique playing style, and the way Shubman Gill has captained and Ashish Nehra has raised the stature of all the bowlers," Chopra observed.

Shubman Gill (90 off 55) top-scored for the Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2025 clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders. He added 114 runs for the first wicket with Sai Sudharsan (52 off 36) and 58 runs for the second wicket with Jos Buttler (41* off 23) before he was brilliantly caught by Rinku Singh off Vaibhav Arora's bowling.