IPL 2025 Opening Matches: KKR vs RCB

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22, which will mark the start of the much-awaited season.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Stats

• KKR’s record against RCB at home is 8-4.
• Phil Salt scored 350 runs at an average of 58.33 at Eden Gardens last season – four half-centuries and a strike-rate of 185.19.
• Rajat Patidar vs Spin IPL 2024: 215 runs off 109 balls, two dismissals, SR of 197.2 runs, six fours and 22 sixes.
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the third highest wicket-taker in the IPL Powerplay in 2024 – he took ten wickets with an economy of 8.18rpo.
• Quinton de Kock had a very poor IPL 2024, scoring 250 runs at an average of 22.72 and 134.40.
• Varun Chakravarty averaged 18.29 and had an economy of 6.80 against RCB – his total of 14 wickets – making him the second most productive opponent.

The hosts are used to starting in style, having played seven season openers and won six of them. RCB, on the other hand, have played five and won just one of them. The game itself is a repeat of the first IPL matchup, when Brendon McCullum played an incredible innings of just 158 ​​runs.

Both franchises have come a long way since then, but Virat Kohli is still present and crucial to his team’s fortunes. His on-field memories are sweet: two Test centuries, his maiden ODI century, his 49th ODI century and an IPL century in 2019. His 2024 season started slowly, with a low strike rate hurting the team.

He struggled with the bowlers from the start in the middle of the season, which led RCB to the playoffs. Since then, his failure in the T20 World Cup (despite a match-winning innings in the final), a poor Test return and a lackluster Champions Trophy have been a taste of that. RCB need a more energetic Kohli to do well – especially against spin.

Both the teams fought hard for several players in the auction – especially Venkatesh Iyer, who joined his former team. But RCB camp has some former KKR players – Phil Salt (key to the title last year) and Suyash Sharma. This is unlikely to cause much trouble for the hosts. RCB have a squad capable of doing a lot of damage, but a lot depends on the good play of some unstable players. This opening game will be instructive.

Why Can KKR Win?

The defending champions have done their best to maintain the consistency of last season. They have retained six key players – Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakraborty, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh. They have brought back a few more in the auction: Angkarsh Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy and Vaibhav Arora. KKR has done a great job of maintaining its identity even after losing mentor Gautam Gambhir and assistant coaches Abhishek Nair and Ryan ten Doeschat in the Indian team.

New captain Ajinkya Rahane will replace Shreyas Iyer, while Quinton de Kock will replace Phil Salt. Spencer Johnson will replace Mitchell Starc with the ball. Their starting XI looks similar to last season, so they are well-prepared to dominate. They have good depth and a mix of players who play different roles in Gurbaz, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell and Anrich Nortje.

The big question is whether Sunil Narine and Andre Russell can continue their performances despite their age. Narine loves to bat against RCB – he has scored 289 runs at a strike-rate of 182. But it is important to remember that the team is no longer dependent on them: Varun Chakravarty is one of the best spinners in this format and they bat from deep. This quality will encourage the team to play freely.

Anrich Nortje last played a game in December 2024, so KKR will have to be patient with him. His 2024 season was also a nightmare – he averaged 42 in six games, with an economy of 13.36. Another speedster, Umran Malik, was ruled out for the season and was replaced by Chetan Sakaria – who himself has been plagued by injury problems in recent years.

Why RCB Can Win?

Since 2020, RCB has been gradually moving away from a reliance on big personalities towards role players. The team assembled in the mega auction is as balanced as ever. The emphasis was on putting together strong hitters. Phil Salt provides inspiration at the top. Liam Livingstone, Tim David and Romario Shepherd are all capable of crossing boundaries with ease on a regular basis.

Jitesh Sharma is expected to replace Dinesh Karthik as a finisher and keeper. Krunal Pandya will be an under-performing batsman and will act as a match-up option as a left-hander. With Virat Kohli and spin-hitter Rajat Patidar in the team – your batting lineup will be capable of scoring 200+ runs.

Another goal was to build a strong pace attack. Josh Hazlewood is back in the franchise, and is said to be fit after missing the Champions Trophy due to injury. If he stays fit for the entire season, that will be a big positive. Bhuvneshwar Kumar offers great value with the new ball, as does Yash Dayal. Rashid Salam impressed last season and could be a good option in the middle overs and death overs. They could also opt for the slinging Nuwan Tushara if needed.

RCB lack a proven wicket-taking spinner. Pandya provides control as a holding option, while Livingstone’s off and leg-spin will undoubtedly be effective. Swapnil Singh was effective last year but may not get much time. Delhi also has young leg-spinner Suyash Sharma who did well in 2023 but has played less in 2024. Spinners tend to get injured in Bangalore, so it’s understandable that this wasn’t a priority.

Another weakness was the lack of left-handed batsmen in the top-order. The Salt-Kohli air is vulnerable to slow left-arm spin in the powerplay. Apart from Pandya, they have former RCB batsman Devdutt Padikkal and newcomer Swastik Chikara. The responsibility of hitting spin will once again fall on new captain Rajat Patidar. Hazlewood and Bethel have made good progress in their recovery and are likely to be available from the first game. There were some injury rumours about Manoj Vandana but he has been fit in pre-season.

Venue and Conditions:

Four out of the seven matches played at Eden Gardens saw the first innings score being 200+. Punjab Kings even achieved a record of chasing 261. It is usually a high-scoring ground, where high scores can be chased.

The weather should be fine, although dew is always a factor.

2025 IPL Next Match

On March 23, cricket fans will get to watch two matches. In the first match of the day, 2024 runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. RR, who finished third in 2024, will be looking to go one better this year and win the trophy.

That evening, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. CSK, who finished 5th in 2024, will be aiming for a stronger performance this season, while MI, after a disappointing 10th-place finish, will be desperate to turn things around.

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