RCB Thrash KKR in IPL 2025 Opener: Kohli, Salt Shine as Pandya’s Men Start Strong

The start of the 18th IPL season has been a hot one. On Saturday, March 22, reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost to rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at their stadium – 174 for 8 against 177 for 3. Perhaps the only positive stretch of the match for KKR was overs four to ten. Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine scored a combined 98 runs in them. However, RCB had their heroes, and there were many more.

RCB’s Effective Opening Partnership 

Last season, Phil Salt played a crucial role in helping KKR win the IPL championship. Now, he has helped RCB beat their former franchise. His opening partnership with Virat Kohli has laid a solid foundation for the team’s effective chase. The two of them accumulated 115 runs, with Kohli scoring 59 and Salt scoring 56, creating considerable problems for the KKR bowlers. New captain Rajat Patidar also had a great match with 34 off 16 balls. All this enabled RCB to score an impressive seven-wicket victory with 22 balls to spare.

New Season – New Challenges 

For KKR, it is a disappointing defeat, but it should motivate the reigning champion as the new season brings new challenges. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who recently helped India win the ICC Champions Trophy along with Virat Kohli, spoke about this before the match. It was Varun who managed to handle Salt, but only in the ninth over, and by then, RCB already had a solid foundation for a future win. 

KKR will have a chance to pick up their first win of the new IPL season on Wednesday, March 26, when they play away against Rajasthan Royals (RR). RCB’s next opponent, in turn, will be Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday, March 28.