The first match of IPL 2025 took place between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. RCB secured victory by seven wickets with 22 balls to spare.
After a grand opening ceremony, the captains of RCB and KKR arrived for the toss. RCB won and chose to bowl first. Earlier, rain threatened to delay the match, but the covers were removed in time, allowing the game to start smoothly.
KKR's Explosive Start
Josh Hazlewood opened the bowling for IPL 2025. He struck in the very first over, dismissing Quinton de Kock. Suyash Sharma dropped de Kock on the third ball of the match, but Hazlewood took his wicket on the fifth ball.
Despite the early loss, Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane counter-attacked with aggressive strokes. They smashed boundaries all over the ground. After the first powerplay, KKR reached 60/1. Rahane played a blistering knock, scoring 39 runs off just 16 balls with five fours and three sixes. Meanwhile, Narine contributed 17 runs off 15 balls, hitting two fours and a six.
Rahane reached his half-century in just 25 balls by smashing a six off Suyash Sharma’s delivery.
Middle-Order Collapse
Sunil Narine (44 off 26) edged Rasikh Salam’s delivery and got caught behind. However, he built a crucial 100-run partnership with Rahane. Shortly after, Rahane (56 off 31) also fell, caught in the deep off Krunal Pandya’s bowling.
In the 13th over, Venkatesh Iyer walked in but failed to make an impact. Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit some fine shots, collecting two boundaries off Suyash Sharma. However, KKR lost four quick wickets, bringing the score to 125/4 after 12.1 overs.
Krunal Pandya struck again in the 15th over, dismissing Rinku Singh. Then, Suyash Sharma took a massive wicket, sending Andre Russell back to the pavilion. KKR struggled at 150/6 in the 16th over.
Despite a fighting knock of 30 off 22 balls from Angkrish Raghuvanshi, KKR managed only 174/8 in 20 overs. Josh Hazlewood (2/22 in 4 overs) and Krunal Pandya (3/29 in 4 overs) played key roles in restricting the score.
RCB's Blazing Start
Phil Salt and Virat Kohli opened RCB’s innings with a storm of boundaries. They attacked the KKR bowlers from the first ball. RCB reached 50/0 in just 3.4 overs, with Salt hammering 36* off 17 balls and Kohli scoring 12* off 5. Both looked determined to chase the target quickly.
By the end of the powerplay, RCB stood at 80/0. Salt dominated with 49* off 23 balls, while Kohli smashed 29* off 13. Their intent was clear—they wanted to finish the game as early as possible.
Salt completed his half-century in just 25 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes. However, Varun Chakaravarthy provided the breakthrough in the ninth over, dismissing Salt and breaking the 95-run partnership. Sunil Narine took the wicket of Devdutt Padikkal in the 12th over, bringing RCB's score to 118/2.
Brief Scorecard
RCB started the IPL season in style, and fans hope they continue their form. KKR, on the other hand, hopes it was just a bad day and aims to regain their form as quickly as possible. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!