Salt, Kohli, Krunal lead RCB to victory in IPL 2025 opener

The inaugural IPL following the mega auction generates high expectations of fresh partnerships and allegiances. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be pleased that all their signings from the two seasons significantly contributed to their strong beginning in IPL 2025 against the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders.

Josh Hazlewood capitalized on the spongy bounce to disrupt KKR’s powerplay and final overs with figures of 4-0-22-1, while Krunal Pandya put an end to the unexpected delight of Ajinkya Rahane’s aggressive fifty for KKR during his spell of 4-0-29-3. Suyash Sharma redeemed an otherwise average performance by claiming the huge wicket of Andre Russell, and Phil Salt wrapped up the chase with 56 runs from 31 balls, matching Rahane’s score. A regular at RCB, Virat Kohli concluded the match by scoring 59 off 36, finishing the chase of 175 with 22 balls remaining.

Recognized for challenging norms, KKR opted for a conservative approach with their captaincy decision after the auction. Rahane will need to dispel uncertainties almost daily in the IPL, yet he began well alongside Sunil Narine, who together scored 98 runs from overs four to ten. However, KKR was largely outperformed during the night, apart from those seven overs.