Preview: KKR will see a season under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane after parting ways with their IPL-winning captain, Shreyas Iyer. However, the core squad remains intact, ensuring stability in their title defence. The team was impressive in the latter half of IPL 2024 and clinched their third title with a comfortable victory in the final.
RCB, still chasing their maiden first IPL title, will be led by Rajat Patidar this season. Despite making the playoffs last year, they couldn’t go on to change their fortunes. With Virat Kohli once again at the centre of the limelight, the eyeballs will be on him to score the runs.
Indian Premier League 2025, 1st Match, KKR vs RCB
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date & Time: Saturday, March 22, 07:30 PM
Weather forecast for today in Kolkata
Maximum temperature: 33°C
Minimum temperature: 21°C
Wind speed: 6km/h
Chances of rain: 60%
Capacity of stadium: 68, 000
Pitch Report: The pitch at the Eden Gardens is known for being batting-friendly, though bowlers might find some extra bounce early on. Historically, chasing teams have had the upper hand here, as the surface remains consistent throughout the game. The dew factor could make things tricky for the bowlers, especially in the second innings. However, there are chances that rain could play spoilsport. The weather forecast predicts thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds on match day, which might delay the start. However, a complete washout seems unlikely.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Quinton de Kock (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma.
