Quinton de Kock made quite the splash in his first season with the Kolkata Knight Riders during the IPL 2025. In a match against the Rajasthan Royals on March 26, he put on an impressive show, scoring an unbeaten 97 runs and leading KKR to victory while chasing down a total of 152 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
De Kock really took it to the RR bowlers, hitting eight fours and six sixes in his 61-ball innings. Though he fell just short of a century, he secured KKR’s first win of the season by hitting Jofra Archer for a winning six, finishing the match with eight wickets left and 15 balls to spare.
With his knock, he broke Manish Pandey’s long-standing record from the 2014 final, making this the highest score for KKR in a run-chase. For context, Pandey had scored 94 in that match, which helped KKR clinch their second title
. Here’s how the highest scores look for KKR in run-chases now:
- Quinton de Kock: 97* vs RR in 2025
- Manish Pandey: 94 vs KXIP (now PBKS) in 2014
- Chris Lynn: 93* vs GL in 2017
- Manvinder Bisla: 92 vs CSK in 2013
- Gautam Gambhir: 90* vs SRH in 2016
After his fantastic performance, de Kock was named Player of the Match. He spoke about how glad he is to be contributing after his international retirement. Nice to get my opportunity, wanted to make it count, he said in the post-match chat. I haven’t felt any challenges yet. After a few months off, it feels nice to be back. I just took it as it came and was able to watch how the wicket was playing. I focused on winning the game the way I know how.
He also shared his thoughts on joining a new team. I love meeting new people and being in new places, he said. It’s about finding your spot in the team. Luckily, KKR welcomed me with open arms, and it feels great. On the match’s conditions, he noted, The wicket wasn’t really suited for high scores today. We just focused on winning, and that’s what mattered.
