The Royal Challengers Bangalore took down the Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 wickets in the first match of IPL 2025. KKR started strong after losing the toss, with captain Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine putting up 103 runs for the second wicket. However, their finishers couldn’t capitalize on this start.
RCB’s Strong Start
Virat Kohli and Phil Salt got RCB off to a great start, scoring 95 runs for the first wicket. They chased down the target of 175 runs with 22 balls to spare, securing a 7-wicket win.
Kohli and Salt’s partnership made the difference. After Quinton de Kock was out for 4 runs, Rahane and Narine took charge. Rahane hit 56 runs, including 39 in the power play, while Narine scored 44.
Middle Order Collapse
KKR’s middle order failed to deliver. Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought for 23.75 crores, was out for 4 runs. Big hitters like Rinku Singh and Andre Russell also failed. Russell was sent in too late, and his dismissal hurt KKR’s chances.
KKR scored 107 runs in the first 10 overs but only 67 in the last 10. This collapse cost them the game. Rahane’s captaincy was also questioned, as he didn’t use Sunil Narine’s bowling effectively.
Narine wasn’t given the ball in the power play, and RCB’s openers took advantage of this. By the time Narine bowled his first over, RCB had already scored 86 runs in 7 overs. This mistake made the target easier for RCB to chase.
