Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) started their IPL campaign with a win, defeating defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening match of IPL 2025.
Under their new captain Rajat Patidar, Bengaluru made an impressive start. Meanwhile, Kolkata, led by their new captain Ajinkya Rahane, had an unfortunate beginning in their title defense.
On Saturday (March 22), in the opening match of the 18th edition of the IPL, RCB secured a 7-wicket victory with 22 balls to spare against KKR.
Match Summary
Batting first, Kolkata managed to score 174/8 in 20 overs. In response, Bengaluru comfortably chased the 175-run target in just 16.2 overs, losing only 3 wickets.
The foundation for RCB’s victory was laid by the explosive opening partnership of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli, who put up 95 runs in just 8.3 overs, effectively taking the game away from Kolkata.
Phil Salt played a blistering knock of 56 off 31 balls, hitting 9 fours and 2 sixes, before being dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy. Sunil Narine then quickly removed Devdutt Padikkal, who managed only 10 runs off 10 balls.
Virat Kohli, playing his 400th T20 match, built another crucial partnership with Rajat Patidar, adding 44 runs off just 23 balls. Patidar played an attacking knock of 34 off 16 balls, hitting 5 fours and 1 six, before falling to Vaibhav Arora.
Kohli, marking his milestone match with a half-century, remained unbeaten on 59 off 36 balls, smashing 4 fours and 3 sixes. He finished the chase alongside Liam Livingstone, who played a quick cameo of 15 runs off 5 balls, including 2 fours and 1 six.
Bowling Performance
For KKR, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Vaibhav Arora took one wicket each.
With this victory, RCB made a strong statement in the tournament, while KKR will look to bounce back in their upcoming matches.
