RCB Humble KKR In Thumping Fashion In IPL 2025 Opener, Virat Kohli Masterclass Stuns Defending Champions In Eden Gardens

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have secured a grand-fashioned win over the Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL 2025 season opener at the Eden Gardens. Star batter Virat Kohli helped the team power through, with Phil Salt displaying sheer grit and skipper Patidar's cameo helped them beat KKR by seven wickets.

RCB Secure Win At IPL 2025 Season Opener, Kohli & Salt Stand Out

It was a lucky day for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru after openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli led an explosive assault against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. The defending champions' bowling attack did not have much effect, with Salt scoring 56 and Kohli going on for an unbeaten 59 to help RCB in the run chase.

The Kolkata Knight Riders managed to pick up three wickets, but that did not shift the momentum to their side as the damage was already done by RCB. The dew factor proved to be heavily beneficial for the side, and they chased down the target at 16.2 overs.

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KKR Showcased Resilience But Failed To Capitalize

Kolkata Knight Riders saw Ajinkya Rahane deliver an impressive 56 off 31 to elevate the team's momentum after they lost opener Quinton de Kock early. The dismissal temporarily rocked the Knight Riders, but Rahane came into the attack at Eden Gardens with a splendid half-century, while Sunil Narine backed him up during the game. The KKR duo demolished the opposition with a 103-run stand, with Narine and Rahane smacking boundaries and maximums to help the hosts gain momentum. Ajinkya scored 56 off 31 balls before being dismissed by Krunal Pandya. On the other hand, Sunil Narine missed out on his half-century but did the job well for his side after scoring 44 off 26, where he scored five fours and three sixes. He also managed to secure a huge milestone and completed 100 sixes in the IPL.

KKR looked to breach the 200-run mark in the forest game itself, but their middle-order collapse could not help them sustain against RCB's bowling line-up. They went on a wicket-taking spree, with Krunal Pandya scalping three wickets while Josh Hazlewood rocked KKR's momentum with two dismissals, leading to the Knights scoring a below-par 174 against RCB in the first innings. 

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