Kolkata, last season’s champions, faced a shocking early exit from the tournament. Fans are left wondering what went wrong. From poor team form to key player failures, here are the top five reasons behind their unexpected elimination this time.
Kolkata’s Sudden Fall from Champions to Early Exit
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) surprised everyone by winning the IPL title in 2024. But in 2025, the story is very different. KKR is now out of the tournament before the playoffs. The match between Kolkata and Royal Challengers Bangalore was washed out by rain at Chinnaswamy Stadium, officially ending their playoff hopes. With only 5 wins in 13 games, even a win in their last match wouldn’t have saved them.
Let’s look at the key reasons behind this disappointing season for the defending champions.
1. No Phil Salt, No Strong Start
In 2024, the opening pair of Phil Salt and Sunil Narine gave Kolkata flying starts in many matches. Their aggressive batting gave pressure to the other team from the very beginning.
But this season, Phil Salt was not in the squad. Instead, Quinton de Kock opened most of the games with Narine. Unfortunately, this combination did not work. De Kock scored only 143 runs in 7 matches. Narine didn’t do much better, making 215 runs in 11 games without even one half-century. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, another opener, made only 74 runs in 5 innings.
Because of weak starts, the middle order had to bat under pressure. They often lost early wickets and could never recover. This also affected the performance of bowlers as the team could never build strong totals.
2. Missing Captain Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer led KKR to the title last season, but this year he left the team. He joined Punjab Kings and is doing very well there. Under his captaincy, Punjab are now third in the points table.
Iyer is also in great batting form. He scored 410 runs in 11 matches for Punjab at an average of 50.62 and a strike rate of 180.80. On the other hand, KKR’s highest scorer is Ajinkya Rahane with 375 runs.
KKR clearly missed Iyer’s leadership and solid batting in the middle order. His absence left a big gap in the team.
3. Big Price, Small Performance from Venkatesh Iyer
Kolkata Venkatesh Iyer became the most expensive player in KKR history, bought for ₹23.75 crore. But he failed to live up to expectations. In 11 matches, he scored only 142 runs.
Though Iyer said the price tag didn’t affect him, his poor form and body language told a different story. He looked out of confidence and never seemed comfortable. This poor return from a top-paid player hurt KKR badly and also raised questions about the team’s auction strategy.
4. Poor Planning and Late Batting Changes
Kolkata also failed when it came to making good decisions during matches. Big hitters like Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh were often sent in too late. They came to bat when the required run rate was already too high.
Other teams made smart moves by changing their batting order based on the match situation. But KKR stuck to a fixed plan, which didn’t work. Their slow and average middle-order batting left them stuck in the middle, unable to score quickly.
5. Depending Too Much on Old Players
Kolkata trusted experienced players like Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Ajinkya Rahane again this year. But younger players were not given enough chances.
Look at Punjab again — they brought in young players like Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, and they performed well. But KKR didn’t move beyond their old stars. For years, they have relied on Narine and Russell, but this season showed that it’s time to invest in fresh talent.
What’s Next for KKR?
KKR is currently fifth in the table with 66 points from 13 matches. They are behind Chelsea and Newcastle due to net run rate. With one match left, they can still aim to finish strong.
But after such a poor season, the KKR management must make bold changes for next year. New faces, fresh ideas, and better planning are a must if they want to return to winning ways.
Final Thoughts
From champions to early exit — KKR’s 2025 IPL journey has been disappointing. Missing key players, poor batting, bad decisions, and too much faith in veterans all played a part. Now, the team needs to rebuild smartly and come back stronger next season.
