Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Match Overview
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) took on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first match of the Indian Premier League 2025 on Saturday, March 22, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It was the first time KKR and RCB locked horns in the first match of the season since 2008. RCB won the toss and elected to bowl.
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First Innings: RCB’s bowling efforts restricted KKR to a modest total
KKR lost the wicket of Quinton de Kock in the very first over. De Kock made four runs off five deliveries and was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. Ajinkya Rahane joined Sunil Narine in the middle. They added 103 runs for the second wicket. Narine was the next to depart and scored 44 runs off 26 deliveries.
Rahane was dismissed in the 11th over after scoring 56 runs off 31 deliveries. KKR scored 107 runs and lost two wickets in the first 10 overs. By the end of the 15th over, the team reached a total of 145 runs for the loss of five wickets. The defending champions finished with 174 runs for the loss of eight wickets on the board.
Second Innings: Virat Kohli and Philip Salt help RCB to a win in the opening game
Philip Salt and Virat Kohli opened the innings for RCB. They added 95 runs for the first wicket in 8.3 overs. Salt made 56 runs off 31 deliveries before getting dismissed. Devdutt Padikkal scored 10 runs off 10 balls and was dismissed in the 12th over.
Rajat Patidar played a quickfire knock of 34 runs off 16 deliveries. Kohli remained unbeaten on 59 runs off 36 deliveries RCB reached the target of 175 runs in 16.2 overs with seven wickets in hand.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Performances & Player of the Match
Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders)
- Rahane made his captaincy debut for KKR in this game.
- He scored 56 runs off 31 deliveries and was the highest scorer for KKR.
- He hit six boundaries and four sixes in his innings.
Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
- Kohli scored his 56th half-century in IPL.
- He remained unbeaten on 59 runs off 36 deliveries and hit four fours and three sixes.
Phil Salt (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
- Salt made 56 runs off 31 deliveries on his RCB debut.
- He provided a fiery start to RCB and RCB scored 80 runs in the power play.
Krunal Pandya (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
- Pandya won the Player of the Match award for his bowling performance.
- He took three wickets for 29 runs in four overs.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Match Summary
RCB won the match by seven wickets and won their first game against KKR since the 2022 edition. It was RCB’s first win at the Eden Gardens since 2019. It was an all-round effort from RCB and both batting and bowling units complemented each other. RCB will be hoping to continue their winning run in the next game, while KKR would want a different result in their next outing.
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