On Saturday, March 22, March 22, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Lock Horns, champions with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the prestigious Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Kolkata tried to keep the maximum number of players who helped him win the title in the last season. He retained six players from Mega -Nelami – Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Varun Chakarwardi, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana and Rampandeep Singh. Harshit and Ramandip were unaccounted when they were retained but went to the national team to make their debut.
The KKR auction went out to acquire Venkatesh Iyer's services and eventually signed him for a shocking INR of 23.75 crores. He did not leave the purse to sign the Phil Salat, who was playing an important role in KKR's victory in the previous season. Instead, he signed Quinton de Kock for INR 3.6 lakh. Unless the knights choose to go with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, they are expected to take gloves, who have been with the franchise since IPL 2023.
In the bowling department, KKR had to let KKR go to Michel Starc after signing for a record-breaking yoga from IPL 2024 to 24.75 crore from IPL. He has an Enrique Nortze and Spencer Johnson in his rank this time. Harshit has also experienced a lot in the last few months as he has played in all three formats for India.
KKR nominated Ajinkya Rahane as its captain for IPL 2025, when Shreyas Iyer opted to enter the mega auction. Experienced pracharaks were unsold in the first round of the mega auction before being planted by the knights. His form with the bat, especially in the smallest format, is a concern, but if he gets between runs, it will be bent well for KKR as his captaincy credentials are commendable.
Once again, the form of women and Russell is going to be important for KKR. The previous season was MVP (the most valuable player), showing exemplary all-round skills. Russell did not need much with the bat, but this season may be different for Jamaica born.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have reached the playoffs in three of the last four sessions. In IPL 2024, Virat Kohli won the Orange Cap, but did not get much support from his fellow batsmen. This year, RCB has more compact batting line-up on at least paper. Namak can open an innings with Kohli, which was prominent in the winning campaign of India in the Champions Trophy 2025. From the beginning, the former RCB captain can be easier in his innings from the beginning.
Silver Has been appointed as the captain of the side. He will lead a team in the IPL for the first time. In T20, he defeated 12 wins and four by 16 matches as Captain. If the right -handed batsman can score a consecutive run with the bats, it will make a miracle for his confidence as a skipper.
The mixtures in the mix with explosive players such as Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma and Tim David looks malicious. They can change the game with the ability to take the best bowling line-up for cleaner in case of some overs.
Bowling has not been a strong suit of RCB in the last few years. However, this year, they have gone to experience, raising Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazelwood, who expects to lead the attack. Lungi cash is a good backup for Hazelwood.
Krunal Pandya will play the role of an all -rounder, while Suyash Sharma can be selected as an impact player, especially on turning the tracks. Talented Devdutt Padikal is also back to the franchise and can be used on top of the order.
Pitch -report
Overall, 93 matches have been played at the Eden Gardens. The teams batting for the first time have won 38 games, while on 55 occasions have chased teams chasing teams. The average first innings score is around 163. In the previous season, the site provided some flat surfaces in the league. Punjab Kings chased a record target of 262 against Knight in one of the matches. If the practice matches are a signal, the Eden Gardens can also provide some run-fasting in IPL 2025. However, the entire match is likely to be washed as the weather forecast has predicted thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds on the day of the match.
Prophecy xi:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Quinton de Kok (WK), Sunil Narin, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Rampaeep Singh, Enrich Nortze, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakarwarthi.
Impact player: Vaibhav Arora/Mayank Markande.
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Phil Salat, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazelwood, Yash Dayal.
Impact player: Suryash Sharma/Rasikh Dar Salaam.
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