Live Report - KKR vs RCB - Salt, Kohli, Krunal lead RCB to victory in IPL 2025 opener

Here's Sid Monga's brief bulletin: The first IPL after the mega auction brings with it much anticipation of new alliances and loyalties. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be thrilled that all their acquisitions between the two seasons played an impactful role in their emphatic start to IPL 2025 against the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders.

Josh Hazlewood used the spongy bounce to scuttle KKR’s powerplay and death overs with analysis of 4-0-22-1, Krunal Pandya ended the pleasant surprise of Ajinkya Rahane’s high-intent fifty for KKR in a spell of 4-0-29-3, Suyash Sharma salvaged an ordinary night with the massive wicket to Andre Russell, and Phil Salt killed the chase off with 56 off 31, identical score to Rahane’s. A fixture at RCB, Virat Kohli then sealed the game off with 59 off 36 with 22 balls to spare in the chase of 175.

Known for pushing convention, KKR played safe with their captaincy choice post the auction. Rahane will have to allay doubts practically every day in the IPL, but he got off to a good start as he and Sunil Narine combined for 98 runs in overs four to 10, but KKR were outplayed pretty much throughout the night outside those seven overs.

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That's all from the Live Blog tonight. See you tomorrow for more IPL action. Enjoy the Live Show!

Livingstone blunts a four through midwicket and it's all over in the 17th over! Kohli unbeaten on a 36-ball 59, with the 95-run partnership with Salt setting up the chase beautifully.

Credit also to RCB's bowlers - Hazlewood and Krunal in particular - for restricting one of the best batting sides of the IPL to only 174. Defending champions go down in the opener, failing to do what they did in the IPL 2008 season opener against the same side all those years ago.

Handshakes between the two sides and the fans slowly begin to make their way out. The KKR faithful here at the Eden had given up long back, but they hung around since Kohli was on song.

Rahane believes they'll have to learn from their mistakes quickly. He says 2-3 wickets in the middle overs in the first innings changed the momentum. He says 170-180 was under par and were targetting a score in excess of 200.

Salt says "no friends out there" when Ravi Shastri jokingly mentioned that the Eden fans were thinking he was still playing for KKR.

Patidar's not just a spin basher, no no. He creams Harshit and Vaibhav before perishing but his effort has brought RCB within touching distance of the win. A spunky 16-ball 34 from the captain.

Ab Tak Chhapan for Virat Kohli, getting his 56th IPL fifty with his 30-ball half-century. A sublime drive over the infield in the 13th over to get to the landmark. Kohli has plenty of fans at this ground and one of them runs into the pitch to touch his idol. Security quickly whisks him away although the crowd loved the gentleman's chutzpah.

The 50s list is one record where Virat isn't No. 1 on the all-timers' list. Any guesses who is No. 1?

Stat alert: Last time Virat Kohli scored a fifty off 30 or fewer balls in the IPL was in 2018

If you are a spinner, you want to stay away from the new RCB captain.

Only 11 overs into this chase but KKR have completed Varun's spell. It's been a forgettable evening for the mystery spinner who came into this game after a successful few months of white-ball cricket.

Today he was outclassed by RCB's openers, with the batters having answers to his short-ish balls as well as the floaters. Virat deposits Varun for another six in his final over to leave Varun with expensive figures of 1-43 tonight. He conceded five fours and two maximums today.

From the other end, Padikkal falls to Narine looking to clear deep midwicket. Kohli pats him on the back because the senior pro knows that Padikkal went for the brave option there. Walks back for a 10-ball ten tonight as Narine gets among the wickets.

After conceding 31 runs in his first 13 balls, Varun attempts two legbreaks, and the second one gets Salt's wicket. He threw it wide, Salt chased, and Spencer Johnson with a smart catch at short third.

A much-needed breakthrough for KKR but Salt has done his job beautifully. He walks off disappointed but possibly content. Can Varun ride on this confidence to get a few more wickets?

Joining Kohli now is Devdutt Padikkal, taking a vital No. 3 position in a side that first made him a household name. Another quiet over for KKR and RCB are 96/1 in nine overs, scoring 16 in the three overs after the powerplay.

Highest score by a RCB debutant in IPL Chris Gayle 102*(55) vs KKR 2011
Faf du Plessis 88(57) vs PBKS, 2022
Phil Salt 56(31), Today
Devdutt Padikkal 56(42) vs SRH, 2020
AB de Villiers 54*(40) vs KTK, 2011

Both batters get their fifties off 25 balls tonight, and if Salt had a point-to-prove after not being retained, this innings has been it. KKR desperate for wickets and dots, so Rahane introduces Narine for the eighth over.

Kohli starts off his battle against Varun well, slog-sweeping him for four in the seventh over.

Coming into this game, Virat had scored only 40 runs in 39 balls against Varun but he has somewhat redeveloped his game against spin in the recent past.

We analysed Virat's spin game recently. Have a watch:

Never before has Virat hit 25 runs in his first ten balls of a T20 innings. This is his best start ever (where ball-by-ball details are available. We wouldn't have some data from his untelevised SMAT matches of the past)

Off his 12th ball, Kohli tries to to over extra cover but ends up slicing a shot high in the air at deep point. Ramandeep fails to complete the tough chance and he appeared to hurt himself in the process. Thankfully, he looks fine, and a quiet Harshit Rana sixth over ends the powerplay. RCB 80/0 in six overs as KKR take a time-out.

Salt on a 23-ball 49 as RCB produce their second-highest powerplay score of all time (behind the 92 vs GT last season)

This is expected territory for RCB for IPL 2025, by the way. RCB's start to the chase should come as no surprise considering the envious set of powerhitters the management stacked up at the mega auction. Here's Mo Bobat, RCB team director, declaring what RCB are going to do 2025 IPL based on their learning from last season when they turned the tide to make play-offs: "...won't be, sending the team out with somebody having the intent to drop anchor. That isn't what's required. We want to make the most of every delivery."

Virat Kohli begins Spencer Johnson's second over with back-to-back sixes down the ground. Salt picks up a smart boundary as well fine on the off side as RCB race to 75 in five overs. The required rate is already under 7RPO! Can KKR find a way back?

KKR bring on Varun Chakravarthy early, but Salt continues to dominate at a ground he loves to play at. He averages 55.71 in T20s at the Eden Gardens, striking at over 185. He goes 4, 6, 4 down the ground in the V before playing a pickup shot to the deep square leg fence

Phil Salt starts the chase with an imperious cover drive off Vaibhav Arora before Virat Kohli gets his first ball away for a boundary as well with a flick through midwicket. Spencer Johnson helps pull things back in the second over, even as Salt creams him through cover.

Salt keeps up the pressure on Vaibhav, though, lofting him over mid-on off back to back balls in the third over for a four and then six! Kohli then picks up another boundary with an ungainly swipe across the line. Vaibhav then goes short outside off and Salt completes the over by uppercutting him over deep third. RCB making the most of the powerplay early on.

Vaibhav Arora, the seam bowler who can get lateral movement with the new ball, is the Impact Sub. He replaces young Angkrish Raghuvanshi.

At the other end stands Phil Salt, KKR's second-highest run-scorer last season, who averaged almost 57 at this venue in IPL 2024. And the RCB faithful give out a big cheer as Salt begins his IPL 2025 with a crunched four through the covers. Near-perfect start for RCB.

Doubts need to be allayed nearly every day in the IPL, but Ajinkya Rahane made a good start to his captaincy stint at Kolkata Knight Riders, scoring 56 off 31, but KKR failed to capitalise on the breathtaking partnership between him and Sunil Narine. Put in, they were 107 for 2 in 10 overs when Narine was dismissed for 44 off 26, but added only a further 67 in the second half. The death overs went at under a run a ball.

Krunal Pandya led the comeback of Royal Challengers Bengaluru with the wickets of Rahane, Rinku Singh and Venkatesh Iyer in an overall analysis of 4-0-29-3. Suyash Sharma, former KKR player who got off to a poor start, made a big contribution in his final over with the wicket of Andre Russell with a wrong’un.

The drying up of the runs in the end was not too different to how Josh Hazlewood forced KKR into a slow start. The first three overs brought just nine runs and the wicket of Quinton de Kock. The new ball stopped a little and went a little up and down.

Once Rahane got started with a gift on the leg side, the next seven overs produced 98 runs for KKR. Rahane was brutal, putting low price on his wicket and taking risks every chance he could. Narine went from 1 off 8 to score 43 off the remaining 18 balls he faced. It involved taking down his former team-mate, legspinner Suyash, whom he played like an offspinner.

Krunal, though, pulled things back once Narine got out to Rasikh Salam. He even tried a bouncer in a spell that he kept changing the pace often. All three of his wickets were bowled, which is a tribute to his accuracy. Once Russell came in, RCB took the chance of bowling extra overs of legspin, and were rewarded when Suyash bowled him with a wrong’un.

Hazlewood and Yash Dayal closed out superbly for RCB to give them what looked like an easy target provided Narine and Varun Chakravarthy didn’t cause much damage.

The side's famed middle and lower-middle order failed to make an impact. The hosts make only 23 in the last four overs with Hazlewood finishing with 2-22 in four overs. So KKR make 23 in the last four and only 9 in the first three. Those seven overs brought only 32 runs while the other 13 overs brought 142.

All in all, the innings played by Ajinkya Rahane (56) and partially by Sunil Narine (44) ended up being mighty crucial. RCB probably the happier side walking back, with their combination of pacers and spinners combining beautifully in this tournament opener.

With 1-47 in four overs and the big wicket of Dre Russ, Suyash's day at his former home ground is done.

At the end of the 16th, he comes off, and in walks Devdutt Padikkal to field.

Interestingly, RCB don't mind using spin for the 17th over either. Livingstone operating against Raghuvanshi and Ramandeep and it's a quiet 17th.

Even though Suyash Sharma was going at 13 per over, he was backed by Patidar and the management this evening, and boy oh boy, hasn't the gamble worked.

Russell manages to get one googly away for four, but next ball, the wrong'un is too good for the West Indian. Russell would've played Suyash a lot before, but his record against the googly is generally so poor that six-or-out was always going to be on the cards.

RCB on top now? KKR 150/6 in 15.4 overs. The second time out sees DK and Kohli chatting with Suyash while Chandrakant Pandit walked out to talk to Raghuvanshi and new batter Ramandeep. To add pressure, Patidar calls for a helmet and stands at short leg for the new batter. Yum.

He's nippy, he's zippy, and he finishes his bowling spell by dismissing Rinku Singh too!

Krunal was a player RCB targetted specifically at the auction, and it appears to be paying off in the first game itself. He varied his pace between the 90kph - 105kph mark today.

He finishes the evening with 3-29 and gives out a big roar but the wicket cannot quieten the home fans. And that's because Andre Russell walks in at No. 7!

Sampath from our stats team adds: Krunal had four wickets in 15 away matches across the previous two IPL seasons. Took three in four overs in the first match itself.

Krunal Pandya proving that he's not just a defensive bowler. He's versatile, very versatile, and can keep the batters on their toes. Venkatesh Iyer began the 13th over without a helmet, but Krunal bowled a bouncer to force the batter to bring protection. The helmet, though, finds time for only one ball as Krunal slides one through to wreck Venky's stumps off an inside edge. A forgetful first IPL 2025 innings for Venkatesh and it's the local favourite Rinku Singh at No. 6.

Rasikh Dar removes Narine for a 26-ball 44 soon after KKR cross triple figures in the tenth over, and Rahane follows his team-mate to the dug out after unsuccessfully pulling Krunal to deep square leg.

Just like that, two wickets in five balls, and KKR go from 107 for 1 to 109 for 3.

In now are two players KKR back immensely. Venkatesh Iyer, the frachise's most-expensive pick of all time, and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi.

Can RCB put in the squeeze with two new men in the crease? KKR 110/3 in 11 overs

He gets there in sublime fashion. Suyash Sharma tosses one up in the ninth over and Rahane crunches the youngster over midwicket for six. Third fastest behind his 19-ball fifty vs MI, 2023 and 24-ball fifty vs KKR, 2023.

With six fours and four sixes, Rahane's counter-attack has allowed the crowd to find their voice back, but one stat worth noting is his control percentage of only 63%. It shows that results matter in the IPL format, way more than how good you look.

Narine meanwhile is growing in confidence too. He manages to clear wide long off to plaster a googly over the ropes, and then finishes the over with a straight-as-an-arrow four. KKR 96/1 in nine overs!

A curious moment in the eighth over. Narine let a short ball from Rasikh go and the side-on umpire called it a wide for height. But Narine, swinging his bat momentarily later, ends up clipping the stumps.

But he won't be out since the ball was dead and he also wasn't in the process of playing a shot. Rasikh has a better return to his spell with a quiet eighth but Rahane climbs into Suyash in the ninth over to keep the sixes flowing.

It's been a Jekyll and Hyde kinda powerplay.

The new ball did a bit and KKR managed just 9 runs in the first three overs.

But boosted by Rahane's shots and Narine finding his hands, KKR added 51 in the next three to finish the powerplay on a solid 60 for 1.

We have the first timeout of the season and some youngsters also run around the ground with a rope to remove the dew, if any. The production team also arrives to put a camera on the cap of the on-field umpire. Watch out for some wacky camera angles.

RCB, meanwhile, have a very long chat in the huddle. Couldn't spot who was leading the talk though. Suyash Sharma, the ex-KKR man, now gets ready to bowl the seventh.

Krunal Pandya, a largely defensive bowler with an IPL economy of 7.36 and average of 34.28, comes to bowl in the fifth, but he is welcomed by Narine with a six over wide long on. Narine feasts on spin in the IPL, and the first ball was in his arc.

Now back to RCB's spin unit. Some feel RCB have among the weakest or least potent spin groups, with Suyash Sharma and Liam Livingstone the other spinners starting today. This was asked to RCB head coach Andy Flower yesterday, and he agreed it was a potential concern in others' eyes but felt "comfortable" with his spinners. The other spinners on the bench, btw, are Mohit Rathee, Swapnil Singh and Jacob Bethell.

Krunal finishes the fifth over but ends up conceding two more boundaries to Rahane to concede 15 in the fifth. Patidar introduces Yash Dayal for the first time after Rasikh's expensive fourth, but he gets clattered by Narine for a boundary first ball too. Rahane then obliges with a streaky four, a flicked six and a driven four to lift KKR to 60/1 in six overs

With Narine (5 off 11) having among his slowest starts in his IPL career with lone streaky boundary for him so far. Hazlewood cramped Narine up successfully and KKR needed their new captain Ajinkya Rahane to revitalise the powerplay.

And he's done it in style by punishing Rasikh Dar to all parts in the fourth over.

From 9 for 1 in three overs, KKR have rollicked to 25 for 1 in four.

This will be a regular theme through the season as RCB embrace a new captain. Early signs show Patidar as communicative from the slips, and he's been talking to Livingstone and Kohli occasionally too. He's got a spring in his step and looked firm when turning down a discussion about taking a possible review.

Patidar, remember, captained Madhya Pradesh to the SMAT final this season. He's one of five new captains at a new side this season. So we asked Kane Williamson on the intricacies of a new captain.

de Kock gets a boundary off the second ball. Then gets a reprieve as Suyash Sharma drops a skyer. But Hazlewood gets one to nip back in and de Kock is caught behind.

Eden Gardens has never been a favourable venue for de Kock. Not only did he average only 22.7 in IPL 2024, but coming into this, he had scored only 65 runs in six innings for an average of less than 11 at Eden Gardens. Yikes.

Now comes Ajinkya Rahane at No. 3, with lots of eyes on how he'll play.

Josh Halzewood will kickstart proceedings with Quinton de Kock facing. Narine - the MVP of IPL 2024 crunched 33 sixes last season with a ball-per-six ratio of 8.2 - is at the non strikers end.

KKR's overseas 4: de Kock, Narine, Russell, Johnson.

RCB's overseas 4: Salt, Livingstone, David, Hazlewood.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rajat Patidar (capt), 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jitesh Sharma , 6 Tim David, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Rasikh Dar, 9 Suyash Sharma, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal

For Salt and Suyash, it's a bittersweet return to the Eden Gardens to face their former side. Devdutt Padikkal is the likely impact sub to come in when RCB chase. Surprisingly, perhaps, that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not been picked. Dayal and Rasikh the two Indian seamers. An RCB social media post later says: ""Unfortunately Bhuvi misses out due to a minor injury. He'll be back soon!"

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Venkatesh Iyer, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt) 4 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Sunil Narine, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Varun Chakaravarthy, 11 Spencer Johnson

Interestingly, the playing sheet says Narine is at No. 6, but he will open. de Kock selected ahead of Gurbaz, Johnson ahead of Nortje. Vaibhav Arora the likely impact-sub later.

Patidar gets the coin flip going his way. Says they'll play three seamers and two pacers after choosing to chase. Says the impact players confuse him so doesn't reveal anything more specific. Rahane says toss is out of their control and wants to get going now.

KKR, by the way, won five of their seven games at Eden Gardens last season.

There's no Mitchell Starc at KKR this time, but there's a like-for-like (atleast in bowling role) replacement with young Spencer Johnson getting a cap at the KKR huddle. Quinton de Kock is also named in the KKR XI.

As for Johnson, he is a menacing swing bowler who was bought for INR 2.8 crore. He had made his IPL debut for Titans last season so he won't necessarily be feeling the newbie nerves. He's familiar with the KKR set-up having represented Los Angeles Knight Riders too.

SRK concludes by inviting the two captains on stage, the performing artists, and then invites Roger Binny to cut an absolutely monster of a cake to celebrate IPL's 'adulthood.' Thousands of balloons are released to celebrate this special 'birthday', after which the event comes to a close. Quite stunning, if you had the chance to witness this live at the venue.

Now the operations team quickly rushes onto the venue to dismantle the stage as if it is an olympic sport. RCB players scoot off to the left-side of the ground to sprint and warm-up. The KKR team choose to huddle on the right-side before they too break off for their warm-ups. Patidar ad Rahane walk to the pitch to see how it looks. They rub their hands on the surface to check for the moisture and hardness. Now it's serious business.

The crowd's gone berserk since the country's two biggest superstars (from the entertainment and cricket world) share the stage in the centre of the Eden Gardens. SRK says "welcome the King, welcome the GOAT" and they embrace a hug. The decibel levels go through the roof. SRK then calls up Kolkata's second heartthrob: Rinku Singh, and his reception is nearly as loud as Kohli's. SRK eases Rinku by doing a dance with him. Then on the crowd's demand, Kohli joins SRK for another jig. They do the Pathaan hook step. Entertainment max for the fans, while a few murmurs in the crowd want the cricket action to now start.

We've also had the first look of the outfield with the floodlights breaking through the darkness. Pristine green but back again in the shadows with the opening ceremony continuing. All the BCCI and IPL office bearers are welcomed next. Rajeev Shukla is present too. Kohli back on stage to collection a special "IPL 18" memento, which reminds me, do you remember all the players who were present in IPL season 1 and are still playing now?

Shah Rukh Khan, the KKR owner, and arguably India's biggest superstar, kicks off the opening ceremony with a little speech before introducing the acts who will follow him, which includes singer Shreya Ghoshal and actor Disha Patani.

It is Ghoshal who gets the ball rolling with a mix of melodies that ends with Vande Mataram. Following her is Disha Patani with a dance show. In between, chants of KKR find themselves engulfed by roars of R-C-B, R-C-B! Walking into the venue, fans of RCB were seen aplenty here with most wearing the Virat 18 jersey. Both teams have also arrived. Their arrival delayed fans coming into the ground, though, with many claiming to miss the start of the opening ceremony due to this roadblock. Back to the opening ceremony, and a neon-clad dance performance and a bunch of fireworks have set the tone for the evening. The players, too, hover around the boundary line to soak it all in. Karan Aujla, of Tauba Tauba fame belts out some numbers next.

KKR vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer talks about why he focuses on impact rather than just run-scoring, his Rs 20-crore price tag, and why he's doing a PhD in this in-depth interview with Shashank Kishore and Nagraj Gollapudi.

McCullum's fireworks. A record low for RCB. Nail-biters. These two teams have delivered classic after classic over the years. Here is a look at some of the most dramatic encounters between KKR and RCB.

From messy breakups to simmering feuds to returning prodigals, this season is soaked in soap-opera intrigue, writes Alagappan Muthu.

Also: Ekanth has kicked off our live commentary. We also have live commentary in Hindi.

What's new this season? Any changes in format? Who are the big players missing? Get all your answers here.

There is also a spate of records that can be broken this year. Take a look.

As with every season, there are a bunch of promising youngsters set to play their first season in the IPL. Here is a look at rookies to look out for.

Also, there are nine players who have been there right from the very beginning. Here's a look at the players who have been a part of every IPL season and will play this year too.

Rahane isn't the only new captain on the block. RCB too have a new skipper in Rajat Patidar. After Kohli and more recently Faf du Plessis, he doesn't come across as a glamourous name, but according to those who have worked closest with Patidar, he may be just what the doctor ordered for RCB.

Reigning champions KKR bossed the IPL last year, and are now banking on continuity to try and defend their title.

RCB, meanwhile, are still looking for their maiden title. The team is synonymous with their No. 18, Virat Kohli, and they will hope that season number 18 will be their lucky year.

Last year, we saw new batting heights reached in the IPL, with KKR among the teams pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved. Since then, we have seen India almost reach 300 in a T20I. Will we see an IPL team get there this year? KKR strategy consultant Nathan Leamon and ex-RCb directer of cricket Mike Hesson feel it is possible!

What do you think?

Don't forget to tune in for ESPNcricinfo's T20 TimeOut show for valuable insights from none other than Kane Williamson!

As always, the IPL has been a hotbed for innovation for the BCCI. This season too, there are some pretty significant rule changes. For one, the saliva ban has been revoked.And Hawk-Eye tech will now be used to judge off side and head-high wides, like it is to judge waist-height no-balls. And while Hardik Pandya still remains banned for Mumbai Indians' season-opener, from this year on, over-rate offences won't result in captains getting suspended anymore.

But perhaps the most significant one from the teams' point of view is the one regarding a change of ball being allowed for teams defending totals in the evening games. You can read all about that here.

A big question for KKR is where will Ajinkya Rahane fit in? He did add a touch of aggression to his game when playing for CSK, but how will he fit into KKR's plans? He is usually at his best in the powerplay, but with Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine there, the opening slots may be filled up. No. 3 seems like a natural option, with Shreyas Iyer no longer with the franchise. Have your say!

KKR and RCB played arguably the most memorable IPL season-opener, all the way back in the very first year of the competition. Never again have they kicked the IPL off until today. The IPL has exploded like you wouldn't have believed even while you were watching Brendon McCullum smack the leather off the ball on that fateful day in Bengaluru, and these two teams have been a big part of that explosion.

Today, there will be plenty of sublots to look out for - new captains, player battles and more. And Alagappan Muthu has beautifully captured it all in his preview.

Everything promises for an action-packed season-opener. Everything, that is, apart from the weather forecast. Rain cut short both teams' practice last evening. It rained overnight as well, with the full ground under covers. It rained again at 10am this morning, but the sun came out after. It is dry right now, but overcast conditions and spells of rain have been predicted through the evening. But, as a lot of captains like to say, these are factors not in our control, and all we can do is hope for the best!