In the IPL 2025 opening on Saturday, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by a commanding 7-wickets thanks to a partnership that was made possible by the renowned batsman Virat Kohli and Phil Salt. Both players achieved fifties.
The Kolkata Knight Riders, the reigning champions, set a goal of 175 for Rajat Patidar’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru to begin the world’s most costly cricket competition.
The 18th edition of the IPL started poorly for KKR, as right-arm bowler Josh Hazlewood’s crisp delivery cost opener Quinton de Kock just four runs in the opening over.But Sunil Narine and captain Ajinkya Rahane counterattacked after Rahane joined him in the middle, and the squad reached the 50-run milestone in just six overs. Rahane took the lead with a smooth 56 off 31 balls, forming an important 103-run partnership with Narine, who added a scorching 44 off 26 deliveries.
KKR was on the verge of surpassing the 200-run threshold at one stage, but RCB’s methodical bowling held them to a respectable 174/8 in the tournament opener at Eden Gardens.
