KKR vs RCB Review – Bengaluru commences the season in style
The opening game of the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League went in favor of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. On Saturday, March 22, they won seven wickets with 22 deliveries to spare to get their campaign off to a winning start.
Opting to field first, RCB was off to an amazing start with Josh Hazlewood dismissing Quinton de Kock in the very first over. A 100-plus partnership between Sunil Narine and skipper Ajinkya Rahane followed but the latter departed shortly after getting to his fifty. This was an over after Narine was dismissed.
Some superb bowling by Krunal Pandya in the middle, followed by restrictive death overs, limited KKR to 174/8 at the end of their 20 overs. Apart from the two, no one could really get going. The trio of Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh contributed only 22 off as many deliveries. Krunal ended up with 3/29 in four overs.
Coming to the run-chase, RCB started with a bang with Phil Salt being the aggressor of the batters among himself and Virat Kohli during the powerplay. RCB ended up putting on their second-largest powerplay score (80/0) in the IPL. Salt departed for a 31-ball 56-run knock just as the two openers were closing in on the century stand.
Kohli kicked on from that point and upped his scoring rate significantly. The dismissal of Devdutt Padikkal brought Rajat Patidar to the crease. His enterprising 16-ball knock comprised five fours and one six. Kohli ended up unbeaten on 59, as all of KKR’s bowlers other than Narine conceded upwards of 10-an-over. Narine ended up with solid figures of 1/27 in four overs.
Top Performers of the match
Virat Kohli (59* off 36)
The former RCB skipper applied pressure on the opposition bowlers from the outset. He brought up his 56th half-century in style and more importantly, in a winning cause.
Krunal Pandya (3/29 in 4 overs)
Krunal came back splendidly well after being hit for 15 in his first over. He did not concede a single boundary apart from the six and two fours in his first over.
What’s next for both teams?
KKR will play Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Wednesday, March 26. On the other hand, RCB will take on CSK in Chennai on Friday, March 28. Both the games are scheduled to commence at 7:30 pm (IST).
