Kolkata Knight Riders took a beating in their first IPL 2025 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB’s batting lineup proved too strong, with Virat Kohli and Phil Salt hitting half-centuries. Kohli smashed 59 runs, while Salt made 56. Only three Kolkata bowlers managed to take a wicket each.
What Went Wrong
Kolkata captain Ajinkya Rahane pointed out that his team was doing well until the 13th over. But a few wickets changed the game’s direction. The later batsmen tried hard, but couldn’t turn it around. Rahane said, “When I and Venkatesh Iyer were batting, we thought we could score 200-210 runs. But the wickets that fell together changed the game.”
Kolkata was at 107 runs with one wicket down in the 10th over. The team’s score was over 100 in 10 overs, making 200 seem possible. But then, Kolkata lost five wickets in the next 43 runs. The team ended up with 174 runs. In the last 10 overs, they managed only 67 runs. It seems they could have scored 20-30 runs more. After the pressure mounted, all the bowlers’ line and length went awry.
