RCB Crush KKR as Kohli and Salt Light Up Eden
Kolkata, March 23: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) launched their IPL 2025 campaign in style, handing defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) a crushing seven-wicket defeat at Eden Gardens. Rajat Patidar, in his first match as RCB captain, celebrated a dream debut, while Ajinkya Rahane’s leadership stint for KKR got off to a shaky start.
Chasing 175, RCB’s opening duo of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli set the tone early with an electric powerplay, amassing 80 runs without loss — their second-highest in IPL history. Salt played the aggressor, hammering Varun Chakravarthy for 21 runs in a single over, while Kohli anchored the innings with his trademark poise.
Salt’s 56 off 30 came to an end after reaching his half-century, but Kohli (59* off 41) held firm, ensuring the chase stayed on course. Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Patidar added valuable runs, with the latter smashing a fiery 34. Liam Livingstone applied the finishing touches with a quickfire 15*, sealing the victory in just 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Patidar won the toss and chose to bowl first. KKR lost Quinton de Kock in the opening over, but a solid partnership between Rahane and Narine brought some stability. Rahane’s fluent 56 and Narine’s aggressive 44 helped KKR reach 100 in just 10 overs.
However, a middle-order collapse saw KKR lose momentum. Krunal Pandya was the pick of the bowlers, bagging 3 for 29. Josh Hazelwood’s disciplined spell (2/22) and crucial wickets from Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam, and Yash Dayal restricted KKR to 174/8.
RCB’s clinical performance — with both bat and ball — underlined their intent to finally clinch an elusive IPL title this season. Kohli’s commanding presence and Patidar’s confident leadership marked a promising start for the Bengaluru franchise.
Brief Score:
KKR 174/8 (Rahane 56, Narine 44; Krunal 3-29)
RCB 177/3 in 18.4 overs (Kohli 59, Salt 56; Narine 1-27)*
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