Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders survived a batting blitz from Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag to win a high-scoring thriller by one run on Sunday. 

Chasing 207 for victory, Rajasthan slipped to 71-5 in the eighth over, before Parag struck six maximums in a row on his way to a 45-ball 95. 

With three needed off the final ball, Shubham Dubey was unable to get his team over the line as Jofra Archer was run out to spark wild scenes at Eden Gardens. 

Kolkata opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ajinkya Rahane set the pace in their second-wicket partnership of 56, after Sunil Narine (11) was dismissed by Yudhvir Singh early on. 

Gurbaz struck 35 runs and Rahane notched 30 before Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who hit 44, and Andre Russell (57 not out) took stock and took the attack to their opposition. 

Rinku Singh chipped in with 19 runs from the six deliveries he faced, with Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana and Moeen Ali taking two wickets apiece for the Royals. 

But Rajasthan's run chase started poorly after Vaibhav Suryavanshi (four) fell inside the first over, before Kunal Singh Rathore (duck) and Yashasvi Jaisawal (34) quickly followed. 

However, Parag continued to shine as the Royals' middle order continued to fall around him, including two wickets in three balls in the eighth over by Chakaravarthy (2-32). 

Parag, leading the team in the absence of regular skipper Sanju Samson, added 92 with Shimron Hetmyer (29), but after their departures, Rajasthan struggled. 

Needing 22 needed in the final over, the Royals came close to sending the match to a Super Over, but were unable to get over the line in a remarkable IPL encounter. 

The win keeps KKR's playoffs hopes alive as they moved up to sixth in the standings. Rajasthan, meanwhile, stay down in eighth. 

Back two back Ws pic.twitter.com/zB4TaSzUjx

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) May 4, 2025

Data Debrief: Parag makes history with sensational sixes

Though Parag's immense batting display ultimately proved in vain, the 23-year-old made IPL history as he became the first batter to hit six consecutive maximums. 

Parag had earlier joined an elite list of batters to have hit five sixes in an IPL over.

The others to achieve the feat are Chris Gayle (2012), Rahul Tewatia (2020), Ravindra Jadeja (2021) and Rinku Singh (2023).