The Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season kicked off with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) thrashing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 7 wickets in their own backyard Eden Gardens. It was a dominant show by RCB barring the phase when Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine were going hammer and tongs. Apart from that, RCB dominated every passage of play, chasing down a 175-run target in just 16.2 overs.
There was individual brilliance from Virat Kohli, Phil Salt and Ajinkya Rahane. But there were also disappointments. Let’s dive into the hits and misses from KKR vs RCB encounter.
Hits 
Ajinkya Rahane (KKR)
Termed as a red-ball specialist, Ajinkya Rahane’s stocks in IPL went down by 2021. However, at Chennai Super Kings, he found his new T20 touch. While he went unsold in the IPL 2025 Auction first round, KKR finally paid attention and bought him for his base price of Rs 2 Crore. He was even made the captain.
And Captain Rahane delivered on his captaincy debut for KKR. With KKR down 4/1 in the first over, Rahane showed his touch. Rahane hammered 31-ball 56, striking at 180.65 with six fours and four sixes. His 103-run stand off just 55 delivered with Sunil Narine helped KKR dominate the passage of play.
First match as #KKR captain
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025
First fifty of the season
Ajinkya Rahane continues to make merry
Updateshttps://t.co/C9xIFpQDTn#TATAIPL | #KKRvRCB | @KKRiders pic.twitter.com/aeJUNEF9Bs
Phil Salt (RCB)
Phil Salt emerged as the architect of RCB’s chase, unleashing a blistering attack to score 56 off just 31 deliveries. His aggressive stroke play during the powerplay dismantled KKR’s bowling plans early in the innings, setting a solid foundation for the chase. Salt’s fearless innings not only earned him accolades but also pegged KKR back at crucial junctures, making him the standout performer of the contest.
The iconic Virat Kohli goes down the ground
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025
Sit back and enjoy his exquisite stroke play@RCBTweets race away to 80/0 after 6 overs.
Updates
Virat Kohli (RCB)
Continuing his legacy as one of cricket’s modern greats, Virat Kohli anchored the chase with an unbeaten 59 off 36 balls. Kohli’s innings was a masterclass in controlled aggression, perfectly complementing Salt’s fireworks. His steady hand ensured that RCB crossed the finish line with no stutters.
Josh Hazlewood (RCB)
Josh Hazlewood reaffirmed his reputation as a world-class pacer with an economical spell, returning figures of 2/22 in his four overs. Bowling with precision, Hazlewood stifled KKR’s scoring during both the powerplay and the death overs, crucially stunting their momentum and restricting them to a manageable total. He bowled a total of 16 dot balls in his 24-ball spell with no extras.
Spirited comeback with the ball
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025
Dominating effort with the bat@RCBTweets are up and away in #TATAIPL 2025 with a commanding win over #KKR
Scorecard
Krunal Pandya (RCB)
Not many expected Krunal Pandya to be RCB’s No 1 bowler. However, with a Player of the Match performance in the KKR vs RCB match, he proved his doubters wrong. The all-rounder did not have to bat but he did the trick with the ball. His 3/29 spell had wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer — three game-changers of KKR.
Rajat Patidar (RCB)
He was not impressive with his captaincy skills as the bowling changes seemed confusing as Rahane and Narine piled up runs. However, with the bat, he hammered 16-ball 34. That put him in the Hit category.
Misses 
Venkatesh Iyer (KKR)
Hopes were high for Venkatesh Iyer, especially after his sensational return to KKR for a record-breaking ₹23.75 crore. Unfortunately, Iyer struggled to make an impact, scoring a paltry 6 runs off 7 balls. His inability to capitalise on the opportunity left KKR reeling, making his performance one of the major disappointments of the match.
𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴'𝘂𝗻 done 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025
Suyash Sharma gets the big one#RCB bowlers continue to chip away at the wickets
Updates
Andre Russell (KKR)
Known for his game-changing capabilities, Andre Russell endured an off day, contributing only 4 runs with the bat, lasting just three deliveries. He hit a four against former KKR teammate Suyash Sharma only to be castled in the next delivery. With a no-show in bowling, he failed to make any impact in the KKR vs RCB game.
Varun Chakravarthy (KKR)
The Tamil Nadu mystery spinner was supposed to be KKR’s trump card. However, Phil Salt took Varun apart in a 21-run over. Chakaravarthy has been in great form in 2025, bagging 10 wickets in four ODIs including a fifer. He scalped 14 wickets in five T20Is also including a fifer. In IPL 2024, he took 21 wickets in 15 matches at an economy of 8.04. But on Friday, he was lacklustre, going at 10.80 for a solitary wicket of Phil Salt.
KKR Bowling Unit
Not just Varun Chakravarthy though, the entire KKR bowling unit had an off day. Phil Salt hammered 56 off 31 at 180.65 strike rate, Virat Kohli scored 36-ball 59 at 163.89 strike rate and Rajat Patidar bashed 16-ball 34 at 212.50 strike rate. KKR bowlers found themselves at the mercy of RCB’s batsmen. Failing to penetrate or apply pressure, their lack of intervention enabled RCB to chase the target down with little opposition in 16.2 overs. Sunil Narine was the only economic bowler as he gave away 27 runs for a wicket in his four overs with an economy rate of 6.75.
| Bowler | Ovs | Runs | W | Econ | Dot | 4s | 6s | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaibhav Arora | 3 | 42 | 1 | 14.00 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Spencer Johnson | 2.2 | 31 | 0 | 13.28 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | 4 | 43 | 1 | 10.75 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Harshit Rana | 3 | 32 | 0 | 10.66 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sunil Narine | 4 | 27 | 1 | 6.75 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
