Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets in their IPL 2025 opener. RCB chased down KKR’s 174, scoring 177 for 3, with Virat Kohli (59*) and Phil Salt (56) leading the charge. Josh Hazlewood’s return helped RCB restrict KKR to 174, taking 1 for 22, while Krunal Pandya took 3 for 29, dismissing key batsman Ajinkya Rahane (56) and causing chaos among KKR’s lineup. Despite a good start from Rahane and Sunil Narine (44), KKR faltered after the powerplay. RCB’s strong batting and smart bowling secured their emphatic victory with 22 balls to spare.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 177 for 3 (Kohli 59*, Salt 56, Patidar 34, Narine 1-27) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders 174 for 8 (Rahane 56, Narine 44, Krunal 3-29, Hazlewood 2-22) by seven wickets
Hazlewood’s height troubles KKR
Although it was only two overs at the beginning, this represented 10% of the innings in T20 matches. Hazlewood, who missed the last IPL, was brought back by RCB in the auction. Returning from an extended injury break, he started as if he had never left: with solid length, impressive pace, and added bounce. He had Quinton de Kock dropped before claiming his wicket two balls later in the first over, and Narine was unable to connect in the following third over.
Rahane takes off, Narine follows
RCB aided Rahane, who calmed some concerns regarding his batting with an aggressive innings, although Narine struggled with the inconsistent bounce of the pitch. RCB continued to serve him straight deliveries, and Rahane capitalized on them, accumulating all of his first 30 runs in that region. Once Narine joined the onslaught, the slow start was quickly forgotten.
A pivotal moment occurred when Narine attacked his ex-teammate Suyash, noted for troubling batters facing him as a legspinner. Narine targeted the off side, scoring 22 runs off the ninth over.
Krunal leads RCB’s comeback
At 107 for 1 after 9.5 overs, Narine attempted to drive Rasikh Salam to the off side but succumbed to the extra bounce. Until that moment, RCB had struggled for answers, but they could turn to Krunal as both Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer are susceptible to spin. Over his last three overs, Krunal, utilizing clever variations in pace, secured a wicket with quicker deliveries. Rahane was caught out at deep midwicket, while Venkatesh and Rinku Singh were bowled out.
Narayan’s wicket paved the way for Russell’s entry, prompting RCB to deploy legspin. Russell’s poor track record against legspinners continued as he failed to read one from Suyash, losing his middle stump. Since 2018, he has averaged 13.41 with a strike rate of 123.24 against legspin, making that wicket worth nearly 40 runs.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi struggled to find his rhythm as the ball gripped the surface. Hazlewood and Yash Dayal skillfully navigated the middle overs, allowing just 23 runs in the final four overs.
Salt punishes former team
Salt, who was instrumental in KKR’s title run with an average of 58.33 and a striking rate of 185.18 last season, promptly reminded KKR of their mistake in letting him go. He smashed the first delivery of the chase through mid-off for four, maintaining aggressive intent, especially with Kohli energized during the powerplay. KKR had no option but to call upon Varun Chakravarthy in the fourth over, during which Salt hit him for 20 runs. By this point, the ball had likely stopped gripping due to the dew.
Once Varun finally dismissed Salt, RCB had already reached 95 in 8.3 overs. The required run rate had dipped below seven, and Kohli was committed to ensuring that such an opportunity was not squandered. What will excite RCB even more is that Kohli maintained his aggressive approach, seeking a boost in their net run rate. He slog-swept Varun for a six in Varun’s final over, showcasing his intent when it would have been simple to just play defensively. New captain Rajat Patidar made a valuable contribution from the other end, scoring 34 off 16 as RCB finished the game confidently.
Sidharth Monga is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo