KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 likely playing XIs: Live streaming, match details, pitch report, Kolkata weather forecast

Both Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will embark on a new era when they take on each other in the opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Saturday at the Eden Gardens.

While KKR will be led by veteran Ajinkya Rahane, Rajat Patidar has been given the leadership responsibility of RCB. However, for the defending champions, KKR have been able to hold onto their core pretty well from their previous season.

With Phil Salt shifting base to RCB, South African dashing opener Quinton de Kock is likely to partner Sunil Narine at the top for KKR while Ajinkya Rahane is expected to come at no.4, a place which earlier belonged to Shreyas Iyer. He can also come in at one down.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh follow. Harshit Rana will lead the pace attach alongside either Spencer Johnson or Anrich Nortje, with champion spinner Varun Chakaravarthy also in the mix.

Vaibhav Arora could come in as an Impact Player. For RCB, they will have a complete new team save Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal, who were retained from last year.

KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 match details

KKR will be taking on RCB in the IPL 2025 opener at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22 (Saturday). The KKR vs RCB match starts at 7:30 PM IST with the coin toss taking place 30 minutes prior.

KKR vs RCB probable playing XIs

RCB: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (Wk), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma Impact Player: Rasikh Salam/Devdutt Padikkal

KKR: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (Wk), Ajinkya Rahane (C), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy. Impact Player: Vaibhav Arora

KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 live streaming details

Star Sports are the official broadcasters of IPL 2025. Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 2 Hindi, Star Sports 2 Hindi HD, Star Sports Khel and Star Sports 3 will live telecast the KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 opener. from 6 PM IST onwards. Live streaming of KKR vs RCB clash will be available on JioStar.

KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 weather report

The opening match of IPL is under threat of rain and thunderstorms according to AccuWeather app. Thunderstorms are expected during day time as the weather is expected to remain cloudy and humid.

KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 pitch report

The iconic Kolkata venue has been a batting paradise for the last couple of seasons. The IPL 2024 clash where Punjab Kings chased down KKR’s 262/6 gives a slight idea of how the pitch will behave in the upcoming season. However, the slow bowlers will get some purchase in the wicket.