Shane Watson praises 'vintage' Quinton de Kock after KKR's win
What's the story
Match number 6 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season saw Kolkata Knight Riders defeat Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson praised Quinton de Kock's brilliant show.
De Kock scored a stunning 97* off 61 balls, guiding KKR to their first win of the season.
His innings comprised of eight fours and six sixes, as KKR chased down a target of 152 runs in a little over 17 overs.
Here are the details.
Praise
Watson praises de Kock's vintage performance
Watson was in awe of de Kock's performance.
"It was definitely a comfortable chase, and Quinton de Kock was simply outstanding tonight. That was vintage Quinton de Kock—the kind of brilliance we've seen over the last 10 to 15 years, whether in the IPL or on the international stage. He executed his shots beautifully," Watson told JioHotstar.
Watson highlighted the shot played by de Kock off Jofra Archer over mid-wicket and added that this performance will give KKR tremendous confidence.
Recognition
De Kock's performance secures Player of the Match title
For his match-winning innings, de Kock was rightly awarded the Player of the Match title.
His 97* consisted of 8 fours and six sixes. Notably, he shared an unbeaten 83-run stand with youngster Angriksh Raghuvanshi for the 3rd wicket.
The explosive de Kock has racked up 3,258 IPL runs at an average of 31.94. His tally includes 26 fifty-plus scores (two tons).
As per ESPNcricinfo, de Kock owns 468 runs versus RR at 46.80 (50s: 4).
Win
KKR tame RR to pick massive win
The victory came after KKR replaced their star all-rounder Sunil Narine with Moeen Ali due to an injury.
Ali made a big difference by taking two wickets and giving away only 23 runs in his four overs.
He was well supported by Varun Chakravarthy, who also took two wickets giving away just 17 runs in four overs.
In response, KKR saw de Kock steer the side to victory with a solid knock during the chase.
Upcoming fixture
KKR's next match against MI at Wankhede Stadium
In their next match, Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 31 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The team will hope to carry forward the momentum from their recent victory and continue their winning streak in IPL 2025.
With de Kock in such excellent form, fans are eagerly anticipating another thrilling performance from him and his team.