By Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) began their IPL 2025 campaign with a dominant 7-wicket win over the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), at Eden Gardens. This match signaled the start of the season and demonstrated RCB’s ability to compete effectively this year.
- Highlights of the match: RCB successfully chased down a target of 175 runs with 22 balls to spare, with Phil Salt and Virat Kohli scoring fifties (Salt 56 runs off 31 balls and Kohli 59 runs off 36 balls), and captain Rajat Patidar scoring a quick 34 runs.
- Bowling Excellence: Krunal Pandya took three wickets for 29 runs in four overs, including crucial dismissals that shifted the game’s momentum.
- Kohli’s Milestones: In this match, Kohli became the first player to score over 1,000 runs against four different teams in IPL history and surpassed Shikhar Dhawan to become the leading run-scorer in successful chases in IPL.
Ajinkya Rahane, KKR captain, identified a turning point in the game when they lost multiple wickets in short succession during the middle overs, hindering their scoring momentum.
This victory sets a favorable tone for RCB’s season and demonstrates their ability to produce under duress, implying they could be title contenders this year.
