Aaron Finch feels that Kolkata Knight Riders have themselves to blame for their exit from the IPL 2025 in the group stages. KKR, who came into the competition as the defending champions, struggled to find consistency, despite retaining most of their core from last season.
KKR was in a do-or-die situation after their loss to CSK at home before IPL 2025 was halted for a week and needed a win against RCB at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Saturday, May 17. However, the match got washed out with a delivery being bowled, meaning that KKR’s title defence came to an end.
Speaking on Kuhl Fans Match Centre Live on JioHotstar, Finch said that the campaign didn’t start well for KKR and they fumbled the entry point for Andre Russell. The former Aussie skipper felt that the all-rounder wasn’t given enough chances to influence games.
“It didn’t start well for them. Andre Russell, being the match-winner that he is and has been for such a long time, was batting too far down the order for much of the tournament. He simply wasn’t given the opportunities to influence games the way he can. They’ve only got themselves to blame,” said Finch.
‘Too many moments where KKR didn’t click’
Finch also pointed out to the CSK loss, saying that it was a game KKR had in their bag before letting it slip away. Finch felt that throughout the campaign, Kolkata failed to click at various moments.
They almost kicked themselves after that last game against CSK – it was theirs to win. The match was almost wrapped up, and they still couldn’t cross the line, which turned out to be an incredible win for Chennai. Throughout the season, there were too many moments where KKR just didn’t click,” said Finch.
KKR have one match left against SRH on Sunday, May 25 in Delhi. Kolkata has 12 points from 13 matches and will aim to finish on a high.
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