Mar 22, 2025

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Match 1 report - IPL 2025

RCB Kick Off IPL 2025 with a Bang, Dominating KKR!

The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season is officially underway, and what a start it was! The historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata set the stage for a thrilling opener between the home team and defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and the ever-ambitious Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Interestingly, these two teams also played the very first IPL match way back in 2008, adding a touch of nostalgia to the evening.

Match Overview: RCB’s Powerful Statement

Royal Challengers Bengaluru started their IPL 2025 journey with an incredible performance, crushing Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets. KKR set a target of 175 runs, but RCB chased it down with a whopping 22 balls to spare!

This wasn’t just a win; it was RCB showing everyone they mean business this season. Winning with almost four overs left gives them a great start and a big boost to their net run rate. Plus, it was sweet revenge for RCB, as KKR had beaten them in their last four matches.

New Captains, Different Fates

A cool side-story was that both teams had new captains. Ajinkya Rahane, a seasoned pro, led KKR, while Rajat Patidar, known for his captaincy skills in domestic cricket, took charge of RCB.

It was a dream start for Patidar. He made smart moves on the field, like choosing to bowl first after winning the toss, and even chipped in with some quick runs. Rahane, on the other hand, scored a half-century but saw his team get completely outplayed. He later admitted KKR didn’t score enough runs and their bowlers couldn’t take early wickets.

The Game Plan: Toss and Teams

The Crucial Toss: RCB Chase!

RCB’s new captain, Rajat Patidar, won the toss and decided to bowl first. This is often a big decision in T20s, especially at Eden Gardens where chasing teams (batting second) had a good record last season, partly because of dew making the ball slippery later on. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane even mentioned the dew after the match, proving Patidar’s decision right.

The Squads: Who Played?

Here’s a look at the players who took the field:

Table 1: Playing XIs (KKR vs RCB)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)	Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Quinton de Kock (wk)	Virat Kohli
Venkatesh Iyer	Philip Salt
Ajinkya Rahane (c)	Rajat Patidar (c)
Rinku Singh	Liam Livingstone
Angkrish Raghuvanshi	Jitesh Sharma (wk)
Sunil Narine	Tim David
Andre Russell	Krunal Pandya
Ramandeep Singh	Spencer Johnson
Rasikh Dar Salam	Suyash Sharma
Harshit Rana	Josh Hazlewood
Varun Chakaravarthy	Yash Dayal

Impact Players:

KKR brought in: Vaibhav Arora (fast bowler) for Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Arora had a tough day, giving away 42 runs in 3 overs for 1 wicket.
RCB likely used: Devdutt Padikkal as a batsman, who scored a quick 10 runs.

KKR’s Innings: A Rollercoaster Ride (174/8)

Powerplay: Slow Start, Then Rahane Fires (60/1)

KKR had a shaky start, scoring only 9 runs and losing Quinton de Kock (4) in the first three overs. But then, captain Ajinkya Rahane launched a counter-attack, hitting some beautiful shots. He and Sunil Narine pushed KKR to 60/1 after 6 overs (the powerplay). Rahane was flying, with 39 runs off just 16 balls!

Building Strong: Rahane & Narine Take Charge

Rahane continued his fine form, scoring his first fifty of IPL 2025 (56 runs off 31 balls) on his KKR captaincy debut. He and Sunil Narine (44 off 26) built a strong partnership. At the 10-over mark, KKR were 107/2 and looked set for a big score, maybe even 210-220.

The Turning Point: Krunal Pandya’s Magic Spell!

Just when KKR looked dangerous, Krunal Pandya changed the game for RCB.

First, Rasikh Dar got Sunil Narine out.
Then, Krunal Pandya dismissed:
- Captain Ajinkya Rahane (56)
- Venkatesh Iyer (6)
- The dangerous Rinku Singh (12) Krunal finished with amazing figures of 3 wickets for 29 runs. To make things worse for KKR, RCB’s leg-spinner Suyash Sharma got the big wicket of Andre Russell (4). KKR slumped from 107/2 to 150/6, losing their momentum completely.

RCB Tighten the Screws: Slow Finish for KKR

In the final overs, KKR struggled to score quickly, apart from a small contribution from Angkrish Raghuvanshi (30 off 22). RCB’s bowlers, especially Josh Hazlewood (2 wickets for 22 runs), were excellent. KKR only managed 33 runs in their last six overs.

KKR Scorecard Summary:

Batsman	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	How Out
Quinton de Kock (wk)	4	5	1	0	c Jitesh Sharma b Hazlewood
Sunil Narine	44	26	5	3	c Jitesh Sharma b Rasikh Salam
Ajinkya Rahane (c)	56	31	6	4	c Rasikh Salam b Krunal Pandya
Venkatesh Iyer	6	7	1	0	b Krunal Pandya
Angkrish Raghuvanshi	30	22	2	1	c Jitesh Sharma b Yash Dayal
Rinku Singh	12	10	1	0	b Krunal Pandya
Andre Russell	4	3	1	0	b Suyash Sharma
Ramandeep Singh	6	9	0	0	not out
Harshit Rana	5	6	1	0	c Jitesh Sharma b Hazlewood
Spencer Johnson	1	1	0	0	not out
Extras	6
Total	174/8	20 Overs

Fall of Wickets: 1-4 (de Kock), 2-107 (Narine), 3-109 (Rahane), 4-125 (Venkatesh Iyer), 5-145 (Rinku Singh), 6-150 (Russell), 7-168 (Raghuvanshi), 8-173 (Harshit Rana).

RCB Bowling Highlights:

Josh Hazlewood: 2/22 (4 overs)
Krunal Pandya: 3/29 (4 overs)
Suyash Sharma: 1/47 (4 overs) - got Russell!

RCB’s Chase: Pure Power and Control (177/3 in 16.2 overs)

Powerplay Mayhem: Salt & Kohli Unleash! (80/0)

RCB’s reply was stunning! Openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli went all guns blazing, smashing 80 runs in the first 6 overs without losing a wicket – RCB’s second-highest powerplay score ever in IPL! They hit boundaries all over the park, pretty much ending KKR’s hopes right there. Salt, playing against his old team, was especially aggressive.

Kohli Steadies, Salt Smashes Fifty

Phil Salt continued his onslaught, racing to a brilliant fifty off just 31 balls (ending with 56 runs). Virat Kohli, the IPL’s top run-scorer, played a smart and aggressive innings, scoring his 55th IPL fifty (59 not out from 36 balls) and stayed till the end to ensure victory. KKR finally got a breakthrough when Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed Salt. Sunil Narine then got Devdutt Padikkal (10). But by then, RCB were cruising.

Captain Patidar’s Finishing Touch!

RCB captain Rajat Patidar came in and played a superb cameo, smashing 34 runs off only 16 balls (5 fours, 1 six)! His quickfire innings made sure RCB didn’t slow down. After he got out, Liam Livingstone (15 off 5 balls)* hit a couple of big sixes to finish the match in style.

RCB Scorecard Summary:

Batsman	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	How Out
Philip Salt	56	31	9	2	c Spencer Johnson b Varun Chakaravarthy
Virat Kohli	59*	36	4	3	not out
Devdutt Padikkal	10	10	1	0	c Ramandeep Singh b Sunil Narine
Rajat Patidar (c)	34	16	5	1	c Rinku Singh b Vaibhav Arora
Liam Livingstone	15*	5	2	1	not out
Extras	3
Total	177/3	16.2 Overs

Fall of Wickets: 1-95 (Salt), 2-118 (Padikkal), 3-162 (Patidar).

KKR Bowling Highlights:

Sunil Narine: 1/27 (4 overs) - most economical.
Other bowlers were quite expensive.

Key Moments & Smart Moves

The Powerplay Punch!

The biggest difference between the teams was the powerplay. KKR managed 60/1 (after a very slow first 3 overs). RCB, in contrast, blasted 80/0! That 20-run gap, and the way RCB dominated, set the tone for the whole match.

Krunal Pandya: The Game Changer

Krunal Pandya’s bowling in the middle overs (3/29) was match-winning. He got rid of KKR’s set batsmen (Rahane) and dangerous hitters (Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh) just when they were looking to accelerate. A true masterclass!

Captains in the Spotlight

Rajat Patidar (RCB): Looked calm, made good bowling changes (like using Suyash Sharma against Andre Russell, which worked!), and played a brilliant knock himself.
Ajinkya Rahane (KKR): Despite his own fifty, he admitted KKR didn’t score enough and failed to take early wickets.

Impact Players: A Mixed Bag

KKR’s Vaibhav Arora was expensive.
RCB’s Devdutt Padikkal made a small contribution. The Impact Player rule can be a hit or miss, depending on how the player performs on the day.

Stars of the Night: Awards & Milestones

Player of the Match: Krunal Pandya (RCB)

No surprises here! Krunal Pandya’s 3 crucial wickets for just 29 runs earned him the Player of the Match award. He truly turned the game in RCB’s favor.

Other Awesome Performances:

Award	Winner	Highlight
Super Striker of the Match	Rajat Patidar (RCB)	34 off 16 balls (Strike Rate 212.50)
Super Sixes of the Match	Ajinkya Rahane (KKR)	4 sixes in his 56 runs
On the Go 4s	Phil Salt (RCB)	9 fours in his 56 runs
Green Dot Balls of the Match	Josh Hazlewood (RCB)	16 dot balls (2/22)
Fantasy King of the Match	Sunil Narine (KKR)	44 runs and 1 wicket

Records & Milestones:

Virat Kohli (RCB):
- Played his 400th T20 match!
- Scored 1,000 IPL runs against KKR.
- Now has the joint-most 50+ scores (8) against KKR in IPL.
Sunil Narine (KKR): Hit 100 sixes for KKR in IPL.
RCB Team: Scored their 2nd highest powerplay score in IPL (80/0).
Phil Salt (RCB): Joint 3rd highest score (56) by a player in their first IPL match for RCB.
Krunal Pandya (RCB): 3rd best bowling figures (3/29) by a spinner in their first IPL game for RCB.
Devdutt Padikkal (RCB): Played his 100th T20 match.

What the Captains Said:

Ajinkya Rahane (KKR Captain):

“We were going well until about the 13th over, then we lost a few wickets and that changed the momentum. We thought 210-220 was possible. We were under par. RCB’s batting in the powerplay was very effective, and we couldn’t get any wickets.” “It’s early in the tournament, we’ll learn and improve.”

Rajat Patidar (RCB Captain):

“There was some pressure, but it was a good day for me and the team. Suyash (Sharma) is one of our main wicket-takers, so I backed him against Andre Russell. Krunal and Suyash showed courage and a wicket-taking mindset from the 13th over, which was key. It’s great to have a senior player like Virat Kohli in the team; it’s a learning opportunity for me.”

Final Thoughts: RCB Soar, KKR Stumble

RCB: Looking Like a Well-Oiled Machine!

This was a massive statement from RCB. Their aggressive batting, Krunal Pandya’s brilliance, and sharp bowling at the end showed they are a team to watch. Winning so easily gives them a great net run rate boost. Beating the defending champs on their home ground is a huge confidence booster for new captain Patidar and the team.

KKR: Champs Face Early Wake-Up Call

A tough start for the defending champions. While Rahane and Narine batted well, KKR’s middle-order collapse and ineffective bowling are big concerns. This heavy defeat at home will surely make them rethink their strategies.

What’s Next?

RCB will travel to Chennai for their next match.
KKR will head to Guwahati to play Rajasthan Royals.

The IPL 2025 season has started with a bang! Let’s see what the rest of the tournament brings!