KKR Vs RCB, Indian Premier League 2025: Three Key Player Battles To Watch Out For In IPL Opener

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the season opener match for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at Eden Gardens on Saturday, 22 March. (Schedule | Teams | Points Table)

Both teams will come into the match with contrasting fortunes. Defending champions KKR have been unplayable last season, winning their third IPL trophy. On the other hand, RCB has failed to even reach the finals in nine years, and will hope for a positive start against the reigning champions.

Even though the Knight Riders have lost their talismanic captain Shreyas Iyer, their new-look squad will enter the clash as favourites, especially in their home ground. Meanwhile, Bengaluru will look towards Virat Kohli and his golden touch to have a chance of winning the IPL 2025 opening match.

KKR Vs RCB – Full Squads

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee

Below are the three key player battles that will likely decide the KKR vs RCB match.

1. Virat Kohli Vs Sunil Narine

This will be the clash of the titans, as the league라이브 바카라 best spin bowler will take on arguably the best batter in IPL라이브 바카라 history. Narine라이브 바카라 pedigree for KKR is indisputable, with the West Indian bowler taking 180 wickets in 177 matches with an overall economy of 6.73.

Meanwhile, Kohli – the only player with 8000-plus runs in the IPL – has famously struggled to play off-spin in his career. It will be interesting to see what strategy he takes while facing Narine, and who comes out on top at the end of the day.

2. Ajinkya Rahane vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The veteran cogs of both teams will face off as skipper Ajinkya Rahane will deal with the swinging deliveries of Bhuvi in this crucial battle. KKR라이브 바카라 faith in Rahane, who they picked up for INR 1.5 crore, is massive. The batter scored 242 runs last year, but his record against Bhuvneshwar is poor, with just 104 runs in 10 seasons with a strike rate of around 88.

If the 35-year-old seamer can find his IPL 2023 form on Saturday, then KKR라이브 바카라 new skipper will be in a world of trouble in his first match for his new team.

3. Venkatesh Iyer vs Josh Hazlewood

After losing Shreyas Iyer, the KKR management turned towards his namesake Venkatesh as the star attraction, resigning him for INR 23.75 crore. Venky라이브 바카라 contributions with the bat will be vital for the Knight Riders, with the batter scoring almost 800 runs in the last two seasons combined.

Josh Hazlewood, on the other hand, will be a key weapon for RCB to take early wickets.

The Australian has never been extremely economical, but he has a knack for taking wickets when called upon, with 11 scalps in IPL 2021. In this battle, either Venkatesh will hit Hazlewood for big runs, or the latter will draw first blood. Whoever wins this battle may decide the fate of the match.