IPL 2025: RCB Secures Seven-Wicket Victory Over KKR with Contributions from Pandya, Kohli, and Salt

Kolkata, March 22 (NationPress) Fifties from Virat Kohli (59 not out) and Phil Salt (56) set the stage for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they successfully chased down 175, defeating the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at Eden Gardens on Saturday.

Following a remarkable performance from Krunal Pandya (3-29) and Josh Hazlewood (2-22), RCB managed to restrict KKR to 174/8. Salt and Kohli commenced with a fiery 95-run opening partnership. Although Salt was dismissed just before the midpoint of the innings, Kohli remained not out on 59 off 36 deliveries, leading RCB to a convincing win with 22 balls remaining.

Salt kicked off the chase with an impressive cover drive off Vaibhav Arora, while Kohli added a flick through mid-wicket in the first over. Salt followed up with a drilled cover drive off Spencer Johnson, then launched Arora over mid-on for a four and a six consecutively.

After Kohli struck Arora for a boundary, Salt ended the third over with an upper-cut six. Salt continued his aggressive batting, sending Varun Chakaravarthy to the boundary for two fours and a six down the ground, accumulating 21 runs in the fourth over.

Kohli created a highlight of the innings by lofting Johnson for back-to-back sixes down the ground. After a dropped catch from Harshit Rana, Kohli slog-swept Chakaravarthy for another six, while Salt celebrated his fifty in just 25 balls.

Unfortunately, Salt's innings concluded when he attempted a leg-break, leading to a catch at short third man. Shortly after, Devdutt Padikkal fell to deep mid-wicket off Narine. However, Kohli advanced to secure his 56th IPL fifty in 30 balls with a splendid drive off Harshit Rana in the 13th over.

Captain Rajat Patidar looked promising, hitting Narine for six and adding four boundaries off Harshit. Although Patidar was dismissed by Arora, Liam Livingstone struck a four and a six, clinching the winning boundary and a statement victory for RCB.

Earlier, KKR started strong with Ajinkya Rahane scoring a brisk 31-ball 56, forming a 103-run partnership with Narine, who scored 44 off 26 balls. However, RCB made a fantastic comeback as Krunal and Suyash Sharma dismantled KKR’s renowned middle-order, while Hazlewood finished with 2-22.

Initially batting first, Quinton de Kock hit a boundary off Hazlewood's second delivery. After a missed opportunity by Suyash, Hazlewood ultimately dismissed de Kock for just four.

Following a slowing start, Rahane ignited KKR’s innings, scoring two sixes and a four off Rasikh Salam in the fourth over. Narine welcomed Pandya with a six and Rahane followed with two more fours in a 15-run fifth over.

Rahane then scored two fours and a six off Yash Dayal, as KKR amassed 51 runs in the second power-play phase, finishing at 60/1 after six overs. Rahane reached his fifty in just 25 balls, hitting a slog-sweep for six before Narine added more runs with boundaries.

RCB managed a remarkable comeback as Rasikh dismissed Narine for 44, while Rahane fell to deep backward square leg off Krunal after scoring 56. Krunal struck again, bowling out Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh for six and 12 runs, respectively, while Suyash knocked out Russell with a googly for just four.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi attempted to finish strong with a 22-ball 30 but edged behind off Dayal, while Hazlewood caught Rana, marking his fourth catch of the match. RCB's bowlers effectively mixed their pace and lengths, conceding only 29 runs in the final five overs to complete a remarkable comeback.

Brief Scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders 174/8 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 56, Sunil Narine 44; Krunal Pandya 3-29, Josh Hazlewood 2-22) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 177/3 in 16.2 overs (Virat Kohli 59 not out, Phil Salt 56; Sunil Narine 1-27, Vaibhav Arora 1-42) by seven wickets