The Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR vs RCB) played an exciting first encounter at Eden Gardens to kick off the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Both sides were eager to start the season well and had excellent players. Even though KKR had a rough start, RCB won the toss and bowled first. Both teams displayed their abilities and tenacity in the encounter, which signalled the start of an intriguing IPL season. Fans can anticipate more exciting games and fierce rivalry between the clubs as the season goes on.
Teams for KKR vs RCB
- The Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore will play a high-stakes match.
- Ajinkya Rahane will head the Kolkata Knight Riders’ batting attack, with Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi serving as all-rounders.
- Andre Russell and Rinku Singh will head the all-rounders, with Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Mitchell Starc, and Lockie Ferguson bowling.
- Faf du Plessis will lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line, which also includes Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Suyash Prabhudessai.
First Inning of KKR vs RCB
- KKR batted first in the match against RCB, led by Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine. However, they suffered an early blow when Josh Hazlewood dismissed de Kock for only four runs.
- Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane then steadied the innings, hitting 44 off 26 and 50 off 37 balls, respectively.
- KKR’s middle order, which included Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, and Andre Russell, failed to increase the scoring pace.
- However, Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh delivered late-order pyrotechnics, scoring 23 off 15 balls and 14 off 8 balls, respectively.
- KKR finally scored 174/8 in 20 overs, with RCB bowlers, notably Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood, excellently restraining the KKR batters.
- Quinton de Kock scored four runs off five balls, while Sunil Narine hit 44 runs off 26 balls.
- Ajinkya Rahane scored 56 runs off 37 balls, Rinku Singh 23 from 15 balls, and Ramandeep Singh 14 from 8 balls.
- KKR’s batting performance set the tone for a thrilling encounter, with RCB facing a difficult goal to chase.
Second Inning of KKR vs RCB
- Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) began their chase with Phil Salt and Virat Kohli starting the batting.
- They scored 95 runs for the first wicket, with Salt 56 off 25 balls and Kohli 59 from 36.
- Rajat Patidar scored 34 off 16 balls, while Liam Livingstone scored 12 off 6 balls.
- RCB ultimately chased down KKR’s total, scoring 177/3 in only 16.2 overs.
- KKR had an early setback as Harshit Rana removed Kohli for 18 runs.
- Despite this, RCB’s batting order was imperious, with Will Jacks reaching 55 off 32 balls and Rajat Patidar smashing 52 off 23 balls.
- RCB’s middle order, featuring Dinesh Karthik and Karn Sharma, struggled to quicken the scoring pace.
- However, Karn Sharma delivered late-order pyrotechnics by smashing 20 off 7 balls.
- RCB successfully chased down KKR’s total, scoring 221/10 in 20 overs.
- KKR’s bowling team, which included Harshit Rana, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, and Mitchell Starc, performed an excellent job of restraining RCB batters.
- However, RCB’s batting order proved too powerful, as they finally chased down KKR’s total.
Where to Watch IPL 2025
JioHotstar: https://www.hotstar.com/in/sports
Result
RCB won the match by seven wickets with 22 balls to spare. The result demonstrates RCB’s powerful hitting order and ability to chase down huge totals. The loss was a blow for KKR, but the squad plans to recover and return stronger in their next encounter. The IPL 2025 has gotten off to a spectacular start, and fans can look forward to more entertaining matches in the coming days.
