Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. Virat Kohli anchored the chase with an unbeaten 36-ball 59 after Krunal Pandya grabbed three vital wickets.
After a dazzling opening ceremony featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Shreya Ghoshal, Disha Patani, and Karan Aujla, Rajat Patidar called the coin toss accurately and invited Ajinkya Rahane to bat first.
Quinton de Kock walked out to open the innings for KKR alongside Sunil Narine and steered the second ball from Josh Hazlewood through the third-man region for a classy boundary. The South African got a lifeline on the next delivery as he mistimed a bouncer, but former Knight Suyash Sharma spilled the straightforward catch. However, RCB supporters didn’t have to wait long for a breakthrough, as de Kock feathered the fifth ball that jagged back to Jitesh Sharma, who made no mistake behind the stumps.
Narine appeared scratchy with the bat, returning to open for the first time since the previous IPL season, and edged a streaky boundary off Hazlewood. KKR skipper Rahane looked far more fluent, hammering Rasikh Dar Salam for a four and two sixes in the fourth over. The West Indian all-rounder relished Krunal Pandya’s introduction into the attack, dispatching him for a six and two boundaries.
Dayal was reintroduced to bowl, but the KKR batters maintained their aggressive approach, reaching a 50-run partnership in just 29 balls. The net run rate climbed to a solid 10 per over by the end of the powerplay, despite KKR being restricted to 9/1 after the first three overs. Rahane brought up his half-century in style, smashing Suyash for a maximum off just 25 balls at a strike rate exceeding 200. Narine also shifted gears, accelerating to help the duo raise a commanding 100-run partnership.
At the halfway mark, Narine was dismissed by Rasikh, but KKR had already reached a solid 107/2.
RCB’s Death Bowling Restricts KKR After a Strong Start
Venkatesh Iyer joined his skipper at the crease, but Rahane’s innings came to an abrupt end as he swept Krunal straight to Rasikh, departing for a well-made 31-ball 56. The KKR vice-captain’s stay was short-lived, as he misjudged a straight delivery from Krunal and was clean-bowled.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh kept the scoreboard ticking, but Krunal struck again, sending back the left-hander by cleaning him up after inducing a mistimed cross-batted shot. The spin-bowling all-rounder wrapped up his spell with three crucial wickets, dismantling KKR’s middle order. Andre Russell walked in with intent, smashing Suyash for a boundary through the covers to take KKR past 150. However, the RCB leg-spinner had the last laugh, outfoxing the West Indian powerhouse with a slower wrong’un on the very next ball.
With the sense of opportunity, Patidar trusted spin as Ramandeep Singh and Angkrish tried to play singles to slow the rate of scoring. Hazlewood and Dayal came back to finish off the innings. Talented young Angkrish played two hard fours and a powerful six but was finally caught edging a pull behind Jitesh. KKR’s innings lost pace during the death overs with Harshit Rana caught by Hazlewood, with the visitors scoring 174/8 from their 20 allotted overs.
Kohli’s Composed Brilliance: Guiding RCB to a Dominant Win
RCB began their chase in electrifying fashion as Phil Salt and Kohli took on Spencer Johnson and Impact Sub Vaibhav Arora, making full use of the dew factor. Fours and sixes rained down at Eden Gardens, with the passionate crowd roaring in support of Kohli. Rahane seemed stunned by Salt’s fearless strokeplay, as Varun Chakaravarthy was taken apart for 21 runs in his first over. RCB stormed to 80/0 by the end of the powerplay.
Salt brought up his half-century with a blazing strike rate of 200. Narine entered the attack, but Varun bounced back to dismiss the Englishman for a fiery 31-ball 56. RCB’s Impact Sub, Devdutt Padikkal, walked in as the visitors reached 104/1 at the halfway stage. However, Narine weaved his magic, frustrating Padikkal into an impatient stroke that found Ramandeep in the deep.
Kohli notched up his fifty off 30 balls, prompting an overenthusiastic fan to breach the barricade and touch his feet. The RCB icon, the only player to represent the same franchise in every IPL season, looked in complete control, calmly steering the chase forward.
RCB skipper Patidar partnered with Kohli as the team cruised past the 150-run mark within 15 overs. Patidar looked to wrap up the chase quickly but mistimed a big shot, finding Rinku in the deep, giving Vaibhav a much-needed breakthrough. Liam Livingstone then stepped in and calmly completed the formalities, sealing RCB’s victory in the season opener with a commanding 22 balls to spare.
IPL 2025 Points Table: Updated Standings
| Pos | Team | MP | W | L | NRR | Pts | Form Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 1 | 1 | 0 | +2.137 | 2 | W |
| 2 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2.137 | 0 | L |
| 3 | Chennai Super Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | – |
| 4 | Delhi Capitals | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | – |
| 5 | Gujarat Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | – |
| 6 | Lucknow Super Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | – |
| 7 | Mumbai Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | – |
| 8 | Punjab Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | – |
| 9 | Rajasthan Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | – |
| 10 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | – |
