By Several variables appear to give Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) an advantage over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2025 season opening on March 22 at Eden Gardens.
Head-to-Head Record: * KKR has won 20 of 34 IPL matches against RCB. At Eden Gardens, KKR has been even more formidable, winning eight of their twelve games versus RCB.
Recent Form: The reigning champions, KKR, won the IPL 2024 title. They performed consistently throughout the season, with a well-balanced team and good leadership under Shreyas Iyer. RCB finished fourth in the IPL 2024 but were ousted from the playoffs. While they demonstrated tenacity, inconsistency, and an overreliance on key players such as Virat Kohli remained issues.
Venue Advantage: KKR thrives at Eden Gardens because of strong local support and familiarity with the circumstances. RCB has previously struggled at this site.
Team Composition * KKR has a strong bowling assault with Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine who can take advantage of Eden Gardens’ spin-friendly conditions. * RCB relies heavily on Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar for runs, but their bowling attack is not as deep as KKR’s.
While RCB has match-winners like Kohli, their uneven performances, along with KKR’s supremacy at Eden Gardens, give the latter an obvious advantage in this encounter.
