India Premier League IPL 2025 season kicked off with a bang on March 22, 2025, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stunned defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 7 wickets in a high-octane clash at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Virat Kohli’s explosive batting, backed by a disciplined bowling effort, handed RCB a dream start to their campaign. Here’s how the Match 1 showdown unfolded in this KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 thriller.
KKR’s Innings a Tale of Two Halves
KKR, batting first after losing the toss, got off to a blazing start, reaching 107/1 in the first 10 overs. Sunil Narine (45 off 28) and Phil Salt (38 off 25) set the tone with aggressive stroke play. However, RCB’s bowlers staged a stunning comeback in the second half. Krunal Pandya turned the game with a triple-wicket haul (3/28), dismissing Narine, Rinku Singh, and Andre Russell in quick succession. Josh Hazlewood (2/25) and Yash Dayal (1/18) tightened the screws in the death overs, restricting KKR to just 20 runs in the last five overs. KKR finished at 174/8, a total that seemed below par on the batting-friendly Eden Gardens pitch.
RCB’s Chase Kohli Shines Bright
Chasing 175, RCB got off to a flying start, thanks to Virat Kohli’s brilliance. Celebrating his 400th T20 match, Kohli smashed back-to-back straight sixes off Vaibhav Arora in the third over, signaling his intent. Partnering with Phil Salt (40 off 29), Kohli put on a 75-run stand to steady the chase. Despite losing Salt and Rajat Patidar in quick succession, Kohli anchored the innings with an unbeaten 82 off 51 balls, including 7 fours and 4 sixes. Krunal Pandya (25* off 18) provided the finishing touch, helping RCB chase down the target with 7 wickets and 8 balls to spare.
Key Moments of the Match
Krunal Pandya’s Spell: Pandya’s 3 wickets in the middle overs triggered KKR’s collapse from 107/1 to 154/7.
Kohli’s Sixes: Two towering straight sixes in the powerplay set the tone for RCB’s dominant chase.
Death Bowling Mastery: RCB conceded just 4 runs in the 19th over, with Yash Dayal dismissing Russell to cap KKR’s innings.
Standout Performers
Virat Kohli (RCB): Player of the Match for his match-winning 82*, showcasing vintage form.
Krunal Pandya (RCB): Turned the game with 3/28 and chipped in with an unbeaten 25.
Sunil Narine (KKR): Top-scored with 45 but couldn’t convert his start into a big knock.
KKR, led by Ajinkya Rahane, will look to bounce back from this early setback in their title defense. Their batting depth, with stars like Andre Russell and Rinku Singh, needs to fire consistently. Meanwhile, RCB’s morale will be sky-high after this victory. With Kohli in top form and their bowling clicking, they’ll aim to build momentum in their next outing. RCB’s clinical performance against KKR has sent a strong message in IPL 2025. For a team yet to win the IPL trophy, this win could be the spark they need. As for KKR, the loss exposes vulnerabilities they’ll need to address quickly. The IPL 2025 opener lived up to its hype—can RCB keep the fire burning?
KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 Match 1 Scorecard
Date: March 22, 2025
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Result: RCB won by 7 wickets with 8 balls remaining
Kolkata Knight Riders Innings (174/8 in 20 overs)
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunil Narine | c Salt b Pandya | 45 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 160.71 |
| Phil Salt | c Kohli b Hazlewood | 38 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 152.00 |
| Ajinkya Rahane (c) | b Pandya | 15 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Rinku Singh | lbw b Pandya | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Andre Russell | c Patidar b Dayal | 25 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 138.89 |
| Quinton de Kock (wk) | run out (Kohli) | 18 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 128.57 |
| Venkatesh Iyer | b Hazlewood | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 114.29 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | not out | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 120.00 |
| Vaibhav Arora | run out (Salt) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Extras | (lb 2, w 5) | 7 | ||||
| Total | (8 wickets, 20 overs) | 174 |
Did Not Bat: Suyash Sharma, Harshit Rana
Fall of Wickets: 1-82 (Salt), 2-107 (Narine), 3-112 (Rahane), 4-125 (Singh), 5-154 (Russell), 6-162 (de Kock), 7-168 (Iyer), 8-174 (Arora)
RCB Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 9.50 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 4 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 6.25 |
| Yash Dayal | 4 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 4.50 |
| Krunal Pandya | 4 | 0 | 28 | 3 | 7.00 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 11.00 |
| Rajat Patidar | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10.00 |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innings (175/3 in 18.4 overs)
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | not out | 82 | 51 | 7 | 4 | 160.78 |
| Phil Salt (wk) | c Russell b Narine | 40 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 137.93 |
| Rajat Patidar (c) | c de Kock b Chakravarthy | 18 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 128.57 |
| Glenn Maxwell | c Salt b Russell | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 140.00 |
| Krunal Pandya | not out | 25 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 138.89 |
| Extras | (lb 1, w 2) | 3 | ||||
| Total | (3 wickets, 18.4 overs) | 175 |
Did Not Bat: Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Tom Curran, Mahipal Lomror
Fall of Wickets: 1-75 (Salt), 2-110 (Patidar), 3-120 (Maxwell)
KKR Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaibhav Arora | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 10.00 |
| Harshit Rana | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 11.67 |
| Sunil Narine | 4 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 7.00 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 8.00 |
| Andre Russell | 3.4 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 9.81 |
| Suyash Sharma | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15.00 |
Match Summary
- Toss: RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first.
- Player of the Match: Virat Kohli (82* off 51 balls).
- Key Stat: Kohli’s unbeaten 82 marked his 53rd IPL fifty, extending his record as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.