RCB Crushes KKR IPL 2025 with an impressive seven-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens. A solid batting performance from Virat Kohli and Phil Salt ensured a smooth chase of 175 runs, while Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood’s bowling restricted KKR to 174/8.
Kohli and Salt Lead the Chase
RCB’s run chase started aggressively, with Phil Salt hitting a beautiful cover drive off Vaibhav Arora. Virat Kohli followed with a stylish flick through mid-wicket. The duo continued to dominate, forming a 95-run opening partnership.
Salt was in top form, smashing fours and sixes against Spencer Johnson and Arora. He reached his fifty in just 25 balls before getting out to Varun Chakaravarthy. Kohli remained steady and brought up his 56th IPL fifty in 30 balls, ensuring RCB’s victory with 22 balls to spare. Liam Livingstone finished the match with consecutive boundaries.
KKR’s Batting Performance
KKR’s innings started shakily, with Quinton de Kock falling early to Hazlewood for just four runs. However, Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine put up a strong 103-run partnership for the second wicket. Rahane’s aggressive 56 off 31 balls and Narine’s 44 off 26 balls set a strong foundation.
Despite their explosive start, KKR struggled in the middle overs. Krunal Pandya’s 3-29 and Hazlewood’s 2-22 halted their momentum. Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh were dismissed quickly, and Andre Russell failed to make an impact. Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 30 off 22 balls was the only late contribution before KKR finished at 174/8.
RCB’s Bowling Brilliance
RCB’s bowlers performed exceptionally well in the death overs, conceding only 29 runs in the final five overs. Krunal Pandya played a key role, dismissing Rahane, Iyer, and Rinku Singh. Hazlewood took two wickets, while Rasikh Salam and Suyash Prabhudessai also contributed with crucial breakthroughs.
Match Summary
Kolkata Knight Riders: 174/8 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 56, Sunil Narine 44; Krunal Pandya 3-29, Josh Hazlewood 2-22)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 177/3 in 16.2 overs (Virat Kohli 59*, Phil Salt 56; Sunil Narine 1-27, Vaibhav Arora 1-42)
RCB won by 7 wickets
What’s Next?
With this win, RCB starts IPL 2025 on a high note, boosting their confidence for upcoming matches. KKR, on the other hand, will need to regroup and fix their middle-order issues before their next game.
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