Kolkata Knight Riders will face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of the 2025 Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The match will take place on March 22 at 7:30 PM IST.

The Kolkata Knight Riders will face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Over the next two months, 74 matches will be played in 13 cities as the IPL fever begins. Qualifier 1 and the playoffs will take place in Hyderabad on May 20 and 21, respectively. Qualifier 2 will be held on May 23 and the final on May 25 in Kolkata.

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders are led by Ajinkya Rahane. They have released Shreyas Iyer, Mitch Starc, and Phil Salt from the previous season. They have retained the remaining players and made some good additions. They were one of the most dominant teams last season, both with the batsman and with the ball, and expectations are high this year, especially with the coveted IPL 2025 Orange Cap in mind.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru once again retained only three players and assembled a completely new squad ahead of the season. Rajat Patidar will captain the team, and with players like Livingstone, Salt, and Bethell, they have bolstered their English batting. Virat Kohli will open the batting with Salt, followed by Patidar. Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Krunal Pandya are some of the domestic newcomers in the auction. They will be aiming for their first IPL title. It promises to be an exciting match.

Match Preview

Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) come to the 2025 IPL with the intention of claiming two consecutive titles and their fourth in total. The team will be captained by Ajinkya Rahane this season, which will bolster the team's strength with a solid foundation and new faces. Yet, injuries have foiled plans, and there is a last-minute shuffle before the beginning of the season.

Sunil Narine achieved his career-best batting season last year, scoring 488 runs in 14 innings at an impressive strike rate of 180.74. He is expected to open alongside Quinton de Kock, while Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer will be key figures in the middle order.

KKR boasts strong finishers in Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh, who can cause significant damage in the final overs. Russell and Singh, in particular, have shown that they can score 80-100 runs in the last six overs when they find their rhythm.

In the pace attack, Anrich Nortje replaces Mitchell Starc from last season, while Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakravarthy remain part of the Indian bowling unit. Nortje and Rana are considered expensive at times, so RCB's batters are likely to target them in the powerplay.

Spin remains a major strength, with Narine and Chakravarthy making it difficult for opponents to score freely in the middle overs. If the surface supports them, their use could ultimately be the deciding factor in the match.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are entering their 18th IPL season, still hoping for their first title. Last year, they had a thrilling end-to-season run, winning six straight games to sneak into the playoffs. They narrowly edged out Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in terms of net run rate. However, their journey ended in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals (RR).

With Rajat Patidar as captain and some new faces in the squad, RCB hopes this could finally be their breakthrough season.

Battery has always been their strength, and it remains the same this year too. Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, and Liam Livingstone make for a powerful batting order that can literally rip apart any bowling attack. Virat Kohli was at the top of the scoring list last season. He scored 741 runs in 15 games at an average of 61.75. Given his form at present, he will be once again central to their batting.

All-rounders Krunal Pandya, Jacob Bethell, and Tim David add depth and stability to both departments.

The signings of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar strengthen the pace unit, which has often been a weak point for RCB in the past. However, the team lacks an experienced frontline spinner, which could be a problem on slower pitches. Another concern is that the finishing middle orderers could struggle if they have to rebuild an innings early.

Pitch Report

The pitch at Eden Gardens in Kolkata is widely recognized as a haven for batsmen. When the new ball comes into play, you can expect it to bounce nicely and carry well. The dry conditions might just give the spinners a little extra help. This ground is a playground for both thrilling stroke play and crafty spin bowling. In T20 matches, the shorter boundaries combined with a quick outfield often result in some high-scoring games. In their last home match, the home team managed to put up 157 runs for seven wickets in just 16 overs.

Toss Prediction

The team batting second has had the upper hand at Eden Gardens, winning four out of their last seven encounters last season. Given the forecast of cloudy and humid weather, opting to bowl first could be a smart move.

Weather Report

With a 30% chance of interruptions, it looks like the weather could play a big part in this match. We’re expecting temperatures to reach a high of 34°C and a low of 26°C.

Head to Head

The Kolkata Knight Riders have claimed victory in their last four encounters against their rivals from Bangalore. The last time the Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders was in 2022.

Venue Details

At Eden Gardens, the average score for the first innings usually hovers around 167, but last season was a bit of an outlier. The 200-run mark was surpassed eight times, indicating a shift towards more high-scoring matches. The pitch seems to favor the batters, and with the shorter boundaries, teams batting first will likely aim for a target between 210 and 220.

Match Prediction

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have struggled against the Kolkata Knight Riders in their recent clashes, losing four out of the last five. RCB's last win over them was back in March 2022. Both teams feature explosive hitters who can turn the game on its head, but RCB's bowling attack appears to be a bit weaker compared to Kolkata's, especially with their strong spin options. With a solid track record against RCB and the advantage of home support, the champions are favored to win their opener.

We’re backing the Kolkata Knight Riders for their IPL opening match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Betting Tips

This upcoming match features two teams that have already secured their spots in the 2024 IPL playoffs. Both squads are strong enough to challenge each other. As we kick off the 2025 IPL, we’re eager to see what RCB can bring to the table with their bowling attack. The showdown between Kolkata's batsmen and Bangalore's bowlers could very well determine the outcome of the game. Plus, having in-form players like Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Rinku Singh on KKR's side might just give them the edge they need. Right now, KKR's chances of winning against RCB stand at 55%.

Place your bets on a KKR victory.

Probable Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI

Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Impact Player), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Playing XI

Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (Impact Player), Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma.

Top Fantasy Picks Dream11 Prediction

Kolkata Knight Riders Key Players

Ajinkya Rahane will captain KKR this year, and we anticipate him making an instant impression. Rahane played sensationally in the home season and is thus our bet for the next match.

Varun Chakaravarthy comes into this tournament following a stunning performance at the Champions Trophy. He had 21 wickets last season and was the top wicket-keeper in his team, and thus our bet for the next match.

Sunil Narine is the MVP of a fantasy side. He will bat at the top and is a good off-sppiner. Back him to score points from both departments.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Key Players

Phil Salt scored 435 runs at a strike rate of 182 in the previous season. He is going to be a batsman for RCB and can be a good pick.

Virat Kohli was marvelous for RCB last season, scoring 741 runs at a strike rate of 61.75 and becoming the tournament's highest scorer in runs. We anticipate Kohli to perform the same way this season, so we are picking him as our top choice for the next match.

Josh Hazlewood – Josh Hazlewood, an Australian speedster, adds pace and experience to the bowling attack. His total of IPL wickets is 35.