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Peter Green - March 20, 2025
The Indian Premier League 2025 will open with the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders hosting Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
KKR’s 2024 IPL campaign was nothing short of dominant. They maintained exceptional form throughout the season and clinched the title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad with 8 wickets in hand and 57 balls to spare. They displayed a dominant form over their opponents towards the end of the season and the climax against SRH was the extreme of it.
Meanwhile, RCB fans had high hopes after their crucial 27-run victory over Chennai Super Kings on the final day of the regular season. That victory over CSK helped the team to find a spot in qualifiers but only to end their run against Rajasthan Royals. RCB were defeated by RR with 4 wickets and one over in hand.
KKR and RCB locked horns 33 times in the past. Interestingly, the first IPL match in 2008 was between these two teams and KKR won that game. Since then, KKR has maintained the upper hand in head-to-head encounters, leading with 19 wins compared to RCB’s 14 in 33 matches
At Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, their encounters have been particularly engaging. In 11 matches at this venue, KKR has capitalized on their home advantage, winning 7 times, whereas RCB has emerged victorious on 4 occasions.
Notably, in their most recent clash at Eden Gardens, KKR posted a formidable total of 204 runs, propelled by Shardul Thakur’s quickfire 68 off 29 balls and Rinku Singh’s steady 46 off 33 balls. Their spin trio—Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Suyash Sharma—then combined effectively to bowl out RCB for 123, securing an 81-run victory.
Historically, KKR’s highest total against RCB is 222 runs, while their lowest is 84. Conversely, RCB’s highest score against KKR stands at 213, with their lowest being 49—a record for the lowest team total in IPL history.
Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane has been appointed as KKR’s captain, replacing Shreyas Iyer, who has transitioned to the Punjab Kings. Seam-bowling all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer will serve as the vice-captain.
KKR’s dynamic duo, Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine, are set to open the batting. De Kock’s consistent performances and Narine’s unconventional yet effective batting style provide a blend of stability and aggression at the top.
RCB enters the season with a well-rounded team. The batting lineup features stalwarts like Virat Kohli and new addition Phil Salt, known for his explosive batting style. The middle order is strengthened by players such as Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Tim David. The bowling attack is bolstered by Josh Hazlewood and the returning Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Rajat Patidar has taken over the captaincy from Faf du Plessis. His consistent performances in previous seasons have earned him this leadership role, and his ability to anchor the innings will be crucial for RCB.
Captain- Ajinkya Rahane
Sunil Narine, Quinton De Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raguvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russel, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakravarthy.
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Captain- Rajat Patidar
Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Yash dayal, Josh Hazlewood.
Sunil Narine (KKR) – A proven match-winner with both bat and ball, Narine’s powerplay bowling against RCB’s top order could be crucial, while his unorthodox batting can provide quick starts.
Andre Russell (KKR) – Known for his game-changing ability, Russell’s explosive finishing with the bat and wicket-taking prowess in the death overs make him a major threat.
Virat Kohli (RCB) – The IPL’s all-time leading run-scorer, Kohli’s form at the top will be key for RCB, especially against KKR’s spin attack.
This matchup between KKR and RCB is set to be a thrilling contest, with both teams showcasing a blend of seasoned veterans and emerging talents. However, KKR holds the H2H advantage and enjoys home conditions, making them slight favorites in this matchup.
Additionally, Kolkata have scored over 53.5 runs in the first powerplay overs at Eden Gardens in two of the past three head-to-head meetings. They batted first in the last two meetings here too. Given that, we expect Kolkata Knight Riders to bat first and score over 53.5 runs in the first 6 overs.
Also, Narine picked up two wickets each in his last two matches against RCB at Eden Gardens. With Narine’s proven success against RCB at Eden Gardens, backing him as KKR’s top wicket-taker at 5.10 odds offers strong betting value.
