IPL 2025, KKR vs RCB, Talking Point: Rajat Patidar’s captaincy and a dominant bowling performance caught KKR off guard as RCB cruised to a thumping victory.
Brief scores: KKR 174/8 (Ajinkya Rahane 56, Krunal Pandya 3/29) lose to RCB 177/3 (Virat Kohli 59 not out, Sunil Narine 1/27) by 8 wickets.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) made a winning start to Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday, comfortably defeating defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 7 wickets at Eden Gardens. Krunal Pandya’s three-wicket haul, along with fifties from openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli, were the standout performances of the match. Ajinkya Rahane’s valiant 56 went in vain for Kolkata.
Talking points:Â RCB make a brilliant comeback with the ball
RCB bowlers were under pressure as Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane launched a fierce attack, taking the score to 107/2 in the first 10 overs. With KKR’s batting depth, a 200-plus total seemed well within reach. However, RCB staged a remarkable comeback, conceding just 67 runs and claiming six wickets in the final 10 overs.
A closer look at the breakdown of these overs highlights how effective RCB’s bowlers were in the second half of KKR’s innings.
| Overs | Runs Conceded | Run Rate |
| 1-10 | 107/2 | 10.70 |
| 11-15 | 38/3 | 7.60 |
| 16-20 | 29/3 | 6.50 |
Another breakdown of the overs shows that KKR were cruising in the powerplay, but RCB wrested back the momentum with some excellent spin bowling.
| Overs | Runs Conceded | Run Rate |
| 1-6 | 60/1 | 10.00 |
| 7-15 | 85/4 | 9.44 |
| 16-20 | 29/3 | 6.50 |
Read More: IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad complete analysis, Probable playing XI
Krunal stands out as captain Patidar uses his slower bowlers effectively
RCB’s new signing, Krunal Pandya, spearheaded the turnaround, dismissing the dangerous Rahane in the 11th over while conceding just three runs. Rahane fell into a well-set trap, mistiming a length ball to deep square leg. In his next over, Pandya removed KKR vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer, as RCB capitalised on the momentum gained from Rahane’s dismissal.
Krunal continued his impact, clean-bowling Rinku Singh with a skidding delivery that crashed into the stumps. He bowled wicket-to-wicket with a flatter trajectory, denying the opposition batters any room to get underneath the ball and find boundaries. His experience played a crucial role in RCB’s resurgence during the latter half of KKR’s innings. Krunal finished with impressive figures of 4 overs, 29 runs, and three wickets.
Patidar shows faith on Suyash Sharma
With Pandya maintaining accuracy and taking wickets consistently, Rajat Patidar persisted with spin at the other end, despite Suyash Sharma initially conceding runs. However, Suyash justified the captain’s faith by dismissing Andre Russell with a well-executed googly.
Patidar also cleverly introduced two overs of slow bowling from Liam Livingstone, who conceded just 14 runs. From overs 11 to 17, he kept spin operating from both ends, restricting KKR to just 38 runs for 4 wickets at an economy of 5.6 runs per over. This strategic use of spinners was instrumental in RCB’s comeback.
Read More: IPL 2025: KKR squad complete analysis, Probable playing XI
RCB’s chase made easier by disciplined bowling effort
Chasing 175 on a flat wicket, rather than a 200-plus total, made things significantly easier for RCB’s batters, who came out with an aggressive approach. Phil Salt set the tone by striking a boundary off the very first ball and went on to dismantle the KKR bowling attack.
He received solid support from Virat Kohli, who showcased his intent by smashing two straight sixes off Spencer Johnson. Salt also deserves credit for taking on mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy early, hammering three fours and a six in his very first over.
Way forward
RCB bowlers displayed remarkable fighting spirit, staging an impressive comeback in the second half of KKR’s innings. Their spinners led the charge, well-supported by the pacers in the death overs. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar set to join the playing XI, RCB’s bowling unit could become even more formidable.
Stats Highlights from KKR vs RCB, Match 1, IPL 2025
- Virat Kohli played his 400th T20 match, scoring over 12000 runs.
- With 80/0, RCB made their second highest powerplay score. Their previous second highest powerplay score was 79 against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in IPL 2011. Their highest powerplay score is 92 runs against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024.
- Virat Kohli reached 1000 runs against Kolkata – the only third batter to do so after David Warner and Rohit Sharma.
Top Twitter Reactions from KKR vs RCB, Match 1, Eden Gardens IPL 2025
Read More: Impact player rule: Will we see regular 250+ scores again like in IPL 2024?
