The wait is almost over – in less than 24 hours, the IPL 2025 season kicks off with a thrilling match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). As the defending champions, KKR is looking to hold onto their title, while RCB is eyeing their first-ever championship win.
Imagine the energy at Eden Gardens, the iconic stadium where this highly anticipated match will take place. Both teams will be led by new captains: Ajinkya Rahane for KKR and young Rajat Patidar for RCB. Rahane has prior experience as a captain in the IPL, but Patidar will be making his debut as a leader in the tournament.
However, there’s a dampener for fans – the weather forecast doesn’t look promising. Illustrative scenario: Picture this – the excitement builds up, the crowd is cheering, and just as the match is about to start, dark clouds gather, and rain starts pouring down. Unfortunately, this might become a reality, as the weather department predicts an 80% chance of heavy rain in Kolkata on Saturday, with a 50% chance of rain during the match hours.
Let’s take a look at the head-to-head stats: KKR and RCB have faced each other 34 times, with KKR winning 20 matches and RCB taking 14 wins. Although KKR has a stronger record, RCB’s team looks formidable this season.
Here are the predicted lineups for both teams:
Predicted Lineups
KKR:
- Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper)
- Ajinkya Rahane
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi
- Rinku Singh
- Ramandeep Singh
- Andre Russell
- Sunil Narine
- Harshit Rana
- Enrique Nortje/Spencer Johnson
- Varun Chakravarthy
RCB:
- Phil Salt
- Rajat Patidar
- Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper)
- Tim David
- Liam Livingstone
- Krunal Pandya
- Josh Hazlewood/Romario Shepherd
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Rasikh Dar Salam
- Yash Dayal
The stage is set for an electrifying match, and fans are eagerly waiting to see which team will come out on top. Will KKR successfully defend their title, or will RCB claim their maiden championship? Only time will tell.
