Coming out of the auction, spin looked like one of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s soft spots. They hadn’t invested heavily in that department and were left relying on Krunal Pandya, a utility allrounder with just 76 IPL wickets to lead the way. It made Andy Flower’s pre-season praise of “streetwise”, “smart” and “courageous” for Krunal Pandya feel a bit of a stretch.
And then came the six off Krunal Pandya’s first delivery of the season. Sunil Narine deposited the ball 89 metres into the stands and then back-to-back boundaries were conceded to Ajinkya Rahane, a batter who hadn’t enjoyed the best of matchups against the all-rounder in the past. But for Krunal Pandya to bounce back from that and finish with figures of 3 for 29 was a telling response, not just for RCB’s spin strategy but for Krunal Pandya himself.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru sent a statement on the opening night of IPL 2025 with a resounding win over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. RCB’s bowlers led their team’s comeback in the second half of KKR’s innings by managing to restrict the hosts to 174 for 8 on a placid batting surface. The chase appeared to be so effortless as RCB’s new opening pair of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli registered explosive half-centuries to send the champions to a crushing defeat.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : A wet ball, which could be one of the central characters of the night, be it from the dew, the forecasted rain or a bit of saliva slipping its way back into cricket. Also expect ample airtime for Eden Gardens’ famously large white covers. The night temperature is predicted to dip by 4-5 degrees, which could mean heavier dew and the new playing conditions around ball-change in the second innings could be put to test immediately.
And then there’s the pitch, which is expected to be flat, fast and full of runs. Since the IPL returned to the home-away format in 2023, Eden Gardens has been the highest-scoring venue in the league, with a staggering scoring rate of 9.98 runs per over, the most for any ground with at least three games.
Toss : Royal Challengers Bengaluru new skipper won the toss and chose to bowl with 3 seamers and 2 spinners in the Playing XI. They later replaced Suyash Sharma with Devdutt Padikkal as Impact player. Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane who also wanted to bowl first had three seamers and 2 spinners in the playing XI.
Krunal Pandya’s 3-fer change the tide in RCB’S way after solid half century by Ajinkya Rahane
It was quite astonishing to watch how the PowerPlay panned out for KKR. Josh Hazlewood extracted a lot of movement and bounce on this surface to make life difficult for Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock before removing the South African. After three overs, KKR were 9 for 1 with Narine in particular struggling to get going, batting on 5 off 11.
It was just two overs at the top but that comprises 10% of the innings in T20s. Hazlewood, unavailable last IPL, was re-acquired by RCB at the auction. Coming off a long injury layoff, he started as if he had never been away: hard length, good pace, extra bounce. He had Quinton de Kock dropped in the first over before getting him two balls later. Then he had Narine swinging and missing through the third over.
However, Ajinkya Rahane came out all guns blazing and flipped the switch that saw him smash Rasikh Salam for a couple of sixes and a four in the fourth over of the innings. Narine’s release shot came against Krunal Pandya in the following over after which Rahane continued to go on a boundary-hitting spree that saw KKR smash 41 runs in the second half of the PowerPlay.
RCB did help Rahane out, but he dispelled some of the doubts around his batting with a high-intent innings even as Narine struggled to come to terms with the uneven bounce on the pitch to start with. RCB kept feeding Rahane straight balls, and Rahane kept picking them up over the leg side: all his first 30 runs came there. Once Narine joined the mayhem, that slow start was forgotten.
One of the key moments was Narine going after his former team-mate Suyash, who tends to get the better of batters when they play him as a leg spinner. Narine kept going over the off side as 22 came in the ninth over.
If the PowerPlay was all about Rahane, the middle overs saw Narine redeem himself after that poor start. RCB were forced to hold back Krunal Pandya with Narine out in the middle but the opener took on Suyash Sharma over extra-cover for a huge six before hitting one down the ground.
Rahane also targeted the leg spinner for a six over mid-wicket to bring up the first 50 of IPL 2025. Salam wasn’t spared either by Narine who raced to 44 of 25 before the pacer finally managed to break the dangerous partnership. At the halfway point, KKR were 107 for 2 and well-positioned to post 220.
KKR were 107 for 1 in 9.5 overs when Narine tried to crash Rasikh Salam over the off side but was done in by the extra bounce. Struggling for options until that point, RCB could then go back to Krunal Pandya as Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer can both be shut down by spin. In each of his three previous overs, Krunal Pandya, who used clever changes in pace, picked up a wicket with quicker balls. Rahane holed out to deep midwicket while Venkatesh and Rinku Singh were castled.
However, this is where RCB’s comeback began as Krunal Pandya returned to the attack to make a huge impact. First, Krunal Pandya got rid of Rahane before dismissing Venkatesh Iyer in his next over. In his final over, Krunal Pandya bowled another quicker delivery to breach Rinku Singh’s defence that put the onus on Andre Russell and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi to provide the finishing touches.
Krunal Pandya has never been a big wicket-taker but what’s often overlooked is his ability to restrict. Across nine IPL editions, the most he’s conceded in a season is 7.98 runs per over, an impressive record in a format that routinely punishes even the best. That intrinsic defensiveness came in handy on a night where early damage control was crucial and his ability to slow things down after a rapid start from KKR helped RCB claw their way back.
The first key moment came when he removed Rahane, who was flying at that point with a 25-ball fifty. The dismissal seemed well thought out, the length and line allowing Rahane to swing through the line with a deep backward square in place. A clever bouncer followed to a helmet-less Venkatesh Iyer, who edged the next ball onto his stumps. In his next over, Krunal Pandya cleaned up Rinku Singh with another skiddy, wicket-to-wicket ball.
Across his IPL career, over a quarter of his wickets have been either bowled or lbw. That’s a significant number for a spinner. Moreover, 18 of his 24 legal deliveries were mostly on an in-between length and yielded all three wickets for just 18 runs.
But what Krunal Pandya got right the most was perhaps his pace variation. He began a touch too quick, bowling his first over at a speed of nearly 101 kph, but after being taken for runs, he recalibrated. His next three overs averaged 97 on the speed gun. Interestingly, his three wicket balls were his fastest of the over, suggesting the quicker one became the variation, not a default setting.
The wicket of Rinku brought in Russell, cue for RCB to bowl legspin. Russell’s ordinary record against the wrong’un continued as he failed to pick one from Suyash and lost his middle stump. Since 2018, he averages 13.41 and strikes at 123.24 against the wrong’un. That wicket was worth about 40 runs.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi couldn’t get going as the ball gripped the surface. Hazlewood and Yash Dayal used the middle of the pitch masterfully to concede just 23 in the last four overs.
Suyash, who had a tough night until then, came back for his final over as RCB continued to bowl spin after Krunal’s success. The ploy worked as Suyash bowled a well-disguised googly to rattle Russell’s stumps. That was a telling blow for the home side as RCB closed out the innings in excellent fashion. Hazlewood was at the forefront of that comeback as he conceded just 15 runs in his final two overs. Hazlewood denied Ramandeep Singh the strike throughout the final over to frustrate KKR as they managed to score only 29 runs in the slog overs.
Phil Salt and chase master Virat Kohli canters RCB to an easy 7 wicket win over KKR
The Eden crowd by now are used to watching Salt going bonkers. He did forge a thrilling opening partnership with Narine in KKR’s title winning campaign. However, he was doing the same this time from the opposite camp. He started off the chase with a cover drive that went for a boundary and then sent Vaibhav Arora out of the attack with an eventful over that saw him fetch two fours and a six.
If that wasn’t enough, he stunned the home crowd with a stunning assault to welcome Varun Chakravarthy that saw him go 4,6,4,4. Kohli wasn’t left far too behind as he hit identical sixes off Spencer Johnson. Eventually, RCB knocked off 80 runs in the PowerPlay to pretty much put the contest to bed.
Salt, who played a huge role in KKR’s title run last year with an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of 185.18 in matches in Kolkata, soon reminded KKR they should not have let him go. The first ball of the chase was crashed wide of mid-off for four. The intent never stopped, especially with Kohli turbo-charged during the powerplay too.
KKR were forced to bring in Varun Chakravarthy in the fourth over, and Salt took 20 off him. Also, the ball had stopped gripping by then, possibly because of the dew. By the time Varun got the better of Salt, RCB had reached 95 in 8.3 overs.
Salt brought up his 50 immediately after the first six overs, and KKR’s spinners now managed to slowly pull back the run rate. That was still not going to be enough though as they needed wickets. Chakravarthy forced Salt to mistime one to get caught, much to KKR’s relief and Devdutt Padikkal found the fielder stationed at deep mid-wicket.
Kohli continued to dominate though as he smashed Chakravarthy over long-on for another six and eventually reached his fifty off just 30 deliveries. For the major part of this phase, RCB’s run rate hovered just above six but skipper Rajat Patidar gave it a massive fillip with an eye-catching cameo. After tonking Narine over long-on, Patidar took Harshit Rana to the cleaners with four boundaries in a single over that brought down the equation to just 18 off 30 balls.
The asking rate had dropped under seven, and Kohli was never going to let such a chase slip. However, what will thrill RCB is that Kohli kept the intent up and sought to get them a big net run-rate boost. He slog-swept Varun for a six in his last over when it would have been easy to just play him out. New captain Rajat Patidar played the perfect little hand at the other end with 34 off 16 as RCB romped home.
After adding another boundary in his quest to finish the game quickly, Patidar then found a fielder at the deep to depart for a 16-ball 34. He had caused enough damage though as KKR literally had no hope of a comeback. Kohli had taken a backseat by this time as Liam Livingstone walked out with intent to finish the game in a canter.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Ajinkya Rahane the losing KKR skipper said : I thought we were going well till the 13th over but 2-3 wickets changed the momentum. Batters that followed tried their best but didn’t workout. When myself and Venky were batting we were discussing that 200-210 was achievable but those wickets changed the momentum.
Little bit of dew was there but they had a very good powerplay with the bat. It (total) was under par. We were looking for 200+. We don’t want to think too much about this game but at the same time just try and get better in certain areas.
Rajat Patidar the winning RCB skipper said : There was pressure, but it was a good day for me. If we keep winning like this, it will be a good day. It was pretty clear for me – I don’t mind Suyash giving runs, he was our main wicket-taking bowler, so I backed him. (on Krunal and Suyash) All credit goes to both the bowlers, from 13 overs, they showed courage and determination.
The mindset of taking wickets was really amazing. (on Kohli) It’s really great when you have a player like him, it’s a great opportunity for me to learn from one of the great players of the game. (on his shot off Harshit over backward point) That was pre-determined shot, I was going over covers, the ball nipped back and it went automatically.
Krunal Pandya Player of the Match for his 3 wickets in the match said : When you play against so much crowd, I had to narrow down my focus. If I get hit I had to get hit off a good ball, glad that I could deliver. You have to go with the flow, how cricket is evolving. Batters have the skill-set to hit sixes consistently. You also have to up your game, have to make sure I bowl quicker.
Change of pace is associated with pacers but also I tried it. (on his bouncer) Now Jitesh knows what I will do, if it’s a wide yorker or a bouncer, if you have something in your armoury, why not use it. (on playing for RCB) It’s been amazing, when I got into the team, I realised how much madness there is. The crowd support you get, even in domestic cricket, there also people are chanting RCB. It’s been 10 days since I have joined and it’s been pretty good.
The first IPL after the latest mega auction brings with it much anticipation of new alliances and loyalties. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be thrilled that their latest acquisitions played an impactful role in their emphatic start to IPL 2025 against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Josh Hazlewood used the spongy bounce at Eden Gardens to scuttle KKR’s powerplay and death-overs plans with analysis of 4-0-22-1; Krunal Pandya ended Ajinkya Rahane’s high-intent fifty in a spell of 4-0-29-3; Suyash Sharma salvaged an ordinary night with the massive wicket of Andre Russell; Phil Salt killed the chase with 56 off 31, an identical score to Rahane’s. A regular fixture at RCB, Virat Kohli then sealed the game with 59 off 36 with 22 balls to spare in the chase of 175.
Known for pushing convention, KKR played safe with their captaincy choice post the auction. Rahane the batter will have to allay doubts practically every day, but he got off to a good start as he and Sunil Narine smashed 98 runs in overs four to ten. However, KKR were outplayed pretty much throughout the night outside those seven overs.
A statement win from RCB. They have smashed KKR away. Kohli chats with Harshit Rana as he walks back. Kohli is gesturing and suggesting what happened to his back and why he was grimacing. Coming back to the chase, the openers set it up as Salt and Kohli went hard in the powerplay. Especially the former and they took down Varun for 21 in his first over in the powerplay which set alarm bells ringing for KKR.
After the powerplay RCB were 80/0 and even after Salt went, Kohli was in no mood to give it away. Padikkal did not make many but skipper Patidar came out and smashed a 16-ball 34 to all but put the game beyond doubt. A win with 22 balls to spare and that is a massive one in this format. Will boost RCB’s NRR already even though this is just the first game for both sides. The dew coming down did not help KKR too but they were well short despite that. A score of 200 seems to be the minimum here.
So the Rajat Patidar era at RCB begins with a bang. Not so much the Ajinkya Rahane one at KKR. The 2025 season of the IPL is underway and we will have matches every day from now on for the next two months.
With this statement victory, RCB will now be brimming with confidence as they travel to Chennai for another away game. It’s a venue where they haven’t had a lot of success but with confidence on their side especially with their spinners helping them stage a comeback here, an interesting contest awaits in Chepauk. KKR will travel to Guwahati next to take on Rajasthan Royals who are in action tomorrow in Hyderabad.