Pure drama is unfolding at Eden Gardens! After a blistering innings from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine, it was time for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to fire back—and they did just that. In the IPL 2025 opener between KKR and RCB, Philip Salt, who was part of Kolkata last season, faced his former team and went on a scoring spree alongside his opening partner, Virat Kohli.
Chasing 175 runs in 20 overs—exactly what KKR didn't want—Salt and Kohli attacked the bowlers, making the most of the Powerplay. For RCB to stand a chance, Salt's performance was crucial, and he delivered, especially against his former team. His performance along with Kohli's helped RCB get a 7 wicket win in the IPL season opener.
RCB's 80/0 in the Powerplay is now the second-highest score against KKR in IPL history, trailing only PBKS' 93/1 during their record-breaking 262-run chase at this venue last year.
Philip Salt was unstoppable, smashing nine fours and two sixes in the Powerplay, scoring 56 off 31 balls before Varun Chakaravarthy sent him back. The KKR spinner tossed up a full, wide leg-break, forcing Salt to reach for it, leading to a thick outside edge. This marked Salt’s fifth 50-plus score in just eight IPL innings at Eden Gardens.
Despite his dismissal, Virat Kohli continued doing what he does best—chasing runs with ease. The chase master not only notched up a half-century but also crossed 1,000 runs against KKR in the IPL.?
Most IPL runs vs KKR:
1,093 – David Warner
1,070 – Rohit Sharma
1,000* – Virat Kohli
Earlier, KKR looked on track for a 230+ total, but their innings collapsed, finishing at 174. Rahane and Narine put on a dominant 103-run stand before Rasikh dismissed Narine. Krunal Pandya then took center stage, removing Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, and Rinku Singh—three of KKR's key players. Angkrish Raghuvanshi showed promise but lacked support as RCB executed their bowling strategy flawlessly, mixing pace and length to close out the innings efficiently.?
As for RCB, they won the match comfortably in 16.2 overs. Virat Kohli remained unbeaten, receiving support from Devdutt Padikkal (10 off 10), skipper Rajat Patidar (34 off 16), and Liam Livingstone (15 off 5). RCB secured a 7-wicket victory at KKR’s home ground.? ?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Abhinandan Singh, Manoj Bhandage, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Subs: Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia.?
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