RCB cruise to 7-wicket victory over KKR in IPL 2025 opener

Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli starred for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they cruised to a seven-wicket victory over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2025 season opener on Saturday night (March 22).

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After restricting KKR to 174/8, RCB achieved the win in 16.2 overs (177/3). Phil Salt (56 off 31, 9x4, 2x6) and Virat Kohli (59 not out, 36 balls, 4x4, 3x6) scored half-centuries and added 95 runs in 8.3 overs for the first wicket. Captain Rajat Patidar blazed his way to a 16-ball 34 with five fours and one six.

Pitch invader touches Kohli's feet

Moments after he reached fifty, the frenzy peaked when a pitch invader ran onto the field and fell at Kohli’s feet, summing up the adulation he commands across all venues.

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Earlier, Salt came out swinging against India’s in-form spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who was fresh from his Champions Trophy heroics.

He smashed him for 4, 6, 4, 4 in succession in a brutal 21-run over – first over mid-off, then a six tonked over the same region, followed by a powerful drive over mid-on, before finishing with a slog-swept boundary to deep square leg.

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Kohli soon joined the six-fest, taking on Spencer Johnson with effortless strokeplay.

A length ball outside off saw Kohli shuffle across and launch it straight over the bowler’s head for a 63-meter six.

The next delivery was an action replay, only this time the ball soared 75 meters into the stands.

RCB smash 80 in powerplay

RCB raced to 80/0 in the powerplay, firmly in command. KKR finally found a breakthrough in the ninth over when Salt, was dismissed by Varun.

But Kohli was in no mood to relent. In the much-anticipated matchup against Chakravarthy, he showcased his class, slog-sweeping the leg-spinner over long-on before raising his bat to the dugout and pumping his fists.

In the process, Kohli also surpassed 1,000 IPL runs against KKR.

With the chase well under control, skipper Rajat Patidar (34 from 16 balls; 5x4, 1x6) joined Kohli and ensured there were no hiccups.

He took Rana apart in the 15th over, smashing four boundaries in five balls, virtually sealing the contest as RCB required just 18 runs from the final 30 balls.

Rahane top-scores for KKR

Earlier, a transformed Ajinkya Rahane dazzled on his Kolkata Knight Riders captaincy debut with a 25-ball fifty, but Krunal Pandya's game-changing three-wicket burst ensured that the defending champions fell well short of the 200-mark, managing a below-par 174 for 8.

The 36-year-old veteran, who last played a T20I for India in 2016 and replaced Shreyas Iyer at the helm, played a fearless knock of 56 off 31 balls.

Sunil Narine contributed 44 off 26, in a 103-run third-wicket partnership off 55 balls to lay a solid platform scoring at 10 plus an over.

Krunal and Hazlewood stifle KKR

But their efforts were undone by left-arm spinner Krunal's brilliant 3/29 in the middle overs where he dismissed a well-set Rahane, and the two KKR heavyweights duo of Venkatesh Iyer (6) and Rinku Singh (12) in successive overs.

The inability of KKR’s lower middle order – featuring their most expensive INR 23.75 crore signing Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Russell – to fire cost them dearly as they managed just 23 runs and lost two wickets in the last four overs.

Josh Hazlewood, who started brilliantly with the new ball, finished with a tidy 2/22.

Put in, KKR struggled early, managing just nine runs in the first three overs, with Hazlewood’s precise lines and Yash Dayal’s disciplined bowling keeping them quiet.

The only casualty in this phase was Quinton de Kock, undone by a sharp in-swinger from Hazlewood that took a faint inside edge to the wicketkeeper.

KKR’s dominant batting in powerplay

The momentum shifted drastically when Rahane took charge in the fourth over, dismantling Rasikh Salam Dar for 16 runs, including two sixes and a four.

Narine, despite struggling with his timing, found his rhythm against Suyash Sharma, smashing him for consecutive sixes and a four.

The duo propelled KKR to a dominant 60/1 at the end of the powerplay. Rahane's knock was a spectacle of aggression and elegance. He reached his fifty in grand fashion, kneeling down to sweep a delivery miles over deep midwicket.

His onslaught continued against Krunal and Yash Dayal, flicking and pulling with audacity. A particularly brutal over from Dayal saw Rahane hit a four and two sixes in succession, showcasing his complete control.

Suyash removes Russell

However, RCB clawed back into the contest with a brilliant spell from Krunal in the middle phase.

Re-introduced in the 11th over, Krunal struck a crucial blow by dismissing Rahane, who mistimed a pull and was caught at deep backward square leg.

The left-arm spinner continued his demolition job, removing the KKR vice-captain and most expensive player Iyer and the explosive Rinku to choke KKR’s run flow.

Suyash Sharma, expensive and erratic earlier, redeemed himself by claiming the prized wicket of Andre Russell (4) with a googly in his final over, leaving KKR in deep trouble at 150/6.

Suyash, however, remained RCB’s weakest link, leaking 47 runs in his four overs at an economy of 11.75.

Despite the early fireworks, KKR’s innings fizzled out under RCB’s disciplined bowling in the death overs.

(With agency inputs)