KKR vs RCB Preview – Kolkata, Bengaluru to kick off the IPL 2025 fever
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are all set to cross swords in the inaugural game of the much-awaited Indian Premier League 2025 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, March 22.
The Knight Riders are looking for back-to-back titles and will be led by batting stalwart Ajinkya Rahane after the release of title-winning skipper Shreyas Iyer. The three-time champions have made some changes to the squad but still are a strong contender to lift the title.
Meanwhile, RCB, still in search of their maiden IPL trophy, has also made some leadership changes, with Rajat Patidar replacing Faf du Plessis as captain. Meanwhile, star batter Virat Kohli will be the player to watch out for this season as well. Kohli, who won the Orange Cap in the previous season, will look to continue from where he left off but will hope he can help the team win the title.
However, there’s a significant challenge before the first ball is bowled. An Orange Alert has been issued for Kolkata, putting the opening match at risk. Despite the uncertainty, the grand opening ceremony is set to feature Disha Patani, Karan Aujla, and Shreya Ghoshal.
Pitch Report
The Eden Gardens pitch is generally a batting-friendly wicket in T20 cricket, especially in IPL. The surface is generally flat and the bounce is true, which makes it very conducive to stroke play. Batters generally have the advantage on the Eden Gardens pitch. The weather report for Kolkata does not look promising. As per Saturday’s forecast, there are 75% chance of rain, which may spoil the mood of the fans.
Probable Playing XI
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Quinton de Kock (WK), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (IMP)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, (C) Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh (IMP)
