Quinton de Kock, at 32, has been bit of an enigma in South African cricket. He captained them across formats and had been one of their leading batters in the last decade – but had been often at odds with their cricket establishment when he famously refused to take the knee with his teammates in the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.

Despite still having so much to offer at the international arena, he is already done with the Tests and ODI formats – deciding to spend his time as a journeyman in franchise cricket and in T20 colours with the Proteas. And doing a good job at it, as his classy match-winning innings of 97 for new franchise Kolkata Knight Riders on a demanding pitch in Guwahati on Wednesday showed.

No prizes for guessing, de Kock was the Player of the Match as it helped the defending champions return to winning ways against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. The current season is the South African’s 12th in IPL and fifth team after Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants –during which he has won two titles with MI on 2019-20.

“It was nice to get my opportunity. I wanted to make it count…It’s only my second game here. So, I’m just taking it as I see it,” said de Kock, who is only the third overseas player to score 500-plus runs thrice in IPL with over 100-plus matches in the league. The KKR management got a good deal in the auction in roping in the experienced South African for Rs 3.6 crores – with an eye to have a safe pair of hands behind the wicket and opening batter in place of Phil Salt.  

“I love meeting new people and being in new environments. It is about finding your feet within the team. Sometimes, the team accepts you later. But here at KKR, they have accepted me already with open arms. So, it feels good,” said de Kock, who could also be an asset as a part of the leadership group.

If de Kock hogged the limelight with the bat, England allrounder Moeen Ali played a crucial behind-the-scenes role for the Knights as he replaced an indisposed Sunil Narine at the eleventh hour. The offspinner, with figures of 4-0-23-2, choked the Royals batting line-up in tandem with Varun Chakravarthy in the middle overs to restrict them to 151 for nine.

Speaking after the match, a candid Moeen said he is used to bowling with someone who is ‘’better’’ than him. “My job was to keep it tight so that he can build the pressure and maybe get wickets. I’m used to bowling with someone who is better than me and has more mystery than me. My job is to bowl as tight as I can and hopefully that builds pressure for that person to then get wickets,” said Moeen, a former England T20 captain.

“Varun is bowling outstandingly well as we know and he is a brilliant bowler. He has improved so much over the last two-three years. It is amazing to bowl with somebody like that,” he added.

The Knights’ win, meanwhile, has caused a major shift in the IPL 2025 points table. Rajasthan Royals have hit rock bottom with their second consecutive loss while Kolkata Knight Riders have moved three places up and now stand at the sixth position.