Magnificent fifties by star batter Virat Kohli and new signing Phil Salt guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a comfortable seven-wicket win over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening match of the IPL 2025 on Saturday at the Eden Gardens.
On a pitch that has favoured teams chasing, Rajat Patidar won the toss and sent the home side to bat first. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane made a wonderful 56 and shared a 103-run stand for the second wicket with Sunil Narine (44, 26b) as at one stage KKR looked to break the 200-run margin with ease.
RCB bowlers led by left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya (3/29) staged a splendid comeback. In reply, Virat Kohli (59 not out, 36 balls) and Phil Salt (56, 31 balls) added 95 runs for the opening wicket in just 8.3 overs as RCB chased down KKR’s 174/8 in just 16.2 overs. They made 177/3.
Sunil Narine’s start at top
Sunil Narine started from where he left in the previous season for KKR. Opening the batting, the West Indian tweaker just unleased his batting prowess inside the powerplay to hit all around the park. The left-hander was brutal against the likes of Rashik Salam Dar and Suyash Sharma en route to his 26-ball 44 and shared a 103-run stand with captain Ajinkya Rahane for the second wicket.
Ajinkya Rahane’s batting
Ajinkya Rahane, who has transformed his T20 game, dazzled on his Kolkata Knight Riders captaincy debut with a 25-ball fifty. The 36-year-old veteran, who last played a T20I for India in 2016 and replaced Shreyas Iyer at the helm, played a fearless knock of 56 off 31 balls.
Lack of firepower in lower middle-order’s
The inability of KKR’s middle order – featuring their most expensive ₹23.75 crore signing Venkatesh, a horribly out of form Rinku Singh, and Andre Russell – to fire cost them dearly as they managed just 23 runs and lost two wickets in the last four overs.
Phil rubs Salt to KKR’s wounds
During chase, Phil Salt, rubbing salt into his former franchise’s wounds, gave RCB an explosive start with a 31-ball 56 laced with nine fours and two sixes. His whirlwind knock, in a 95-run opening stand with Kohli, set the tone for the chase. The former KKR opener came out swinging against India’s in-form spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who was fresh from his Champions Trophy heroics. He smashed him for 4-6-4-4 in succession in a brutal 21-run over.
Virat Kohli’s love affair with KKR
Fresh from India’s Champions Trophy triumph, Virat Kohli continued his form with the bat with a 30-ball fifty. While Phil Salt going bonkers at one end, Virat Kohli chose to attack from the other as he showcased his class against a hapless KKR bowling attack. In the process, the right hander went past 1000 IPL runs against KKR.
