IPL 2025 Opening Match KKR vs RCB: The 18th edition of the world’s biggest cricket tournament is all set to get underway. On March 22, 2025, the cricket carnival in India will begin, as the IPL 2025 will host a total of 74 matches between March 22 and May 25 among ten teams. Kolkata Knight Riders won the previous edition, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.
They will defend their title in the IPL 2025 under the leadership of a new captain. The tournament will begin with two of the most followed teams in the IPL and certainly two rivals in this tournament. One of the iconic venues in India, Eden Gardens, will host the tournament’s opener of the IPL 2025. Below we will talk about the first match of the coming season in detail.
IPL 2025 Opening Match: (KKR vs RCB) Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
The start of the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League is scheduled for March 22. This clash will feature a contest between the defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders and three-time finalist Royal Challengers Bengaluru. These two teams have some of the biggest names in the game, including Virat Kohli, Andre Russell, and many more.
This contest will begin at 7:30 PM on Saturday (March 22) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. RCB have not beaten KKR since 2022, and they will be looking to break this streak. KKR will be looking to carry on the momentum from the previous season and start the tournament with a win. Both sides have some new faces, which will make this clash a worth-watching one.
KKR vs RCB 1st Match IPL 2025 Head to Head
The three-time champion KKR are leading the head-to-head contest between the two sides. There have been a total of 35 matches in the IPL since the very first season. KKR have won 21 of them while RCB have ended up winning 14. The last win for RCB against KKR was in 2022, while their last win at Eden Gardens was in 2019. Below you can see the head-to-head record between the two sides.
The table shows the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL head-to-head and stats
| Teams | Won | Lost | NR | HS | LS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 21 | 14 | 0 | 222 | 84 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 14 | 21 | 0 | 221 | 49 |
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Match Results
The table shows the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru match results in the IPL tournament for all the season.
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Winner | Margin | Ground | Match Date |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 1 run | Eden Gardens | Apr 21, 2024 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 7 wickets | Bengaluru | Mar 29, 2024 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 21 runs | Bengaluru | Apr 26, 2023 |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 81 runs | Eden Gardens | Apr 6, 2023 |
| RCB | KKR | RCB | 3 wickets | DY Patil | Mar 30, 2022 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 4 wickets | Sharjah | Oct 11, 2021 |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 9 wickets | Abu Dhabi | Sep 20, 2021 |
| RCB | KKR | RCB | 38 runs | Chennai | Apr 18, 2021 |
| KKR | RCB | RCB | 8 wickets | Abu Dhabi | Oct 21, 2020 |
| RCB | KKR | RCB | 82 runs | Sharjah | Oct 12, 2020 |
| KKR | RCB | RCB | 10 runs | Eden Gardens | Apr 19, 2019 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 5 wickets | Bengaluru | Apr 5, 2019 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 6 wickets | Bengaluru | Apr 29, 2018 |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 4 wickets | Eden Gardens | Apr 8, 2018 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 6 wickets | Bengaluru | May 7, 2017 |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 82 runs | Eden Gardens | Apr 23, 2017 |
| KKR | RCB | RCB | 9 wickets | Eden Gardens | May 16, 2016 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 5 wickets | Bengaluru | May 2, 2016 |
| RCB | KKR | RCB | 7 wickets | Bengaluru | May 2, 2015 |
| KKR | RCB | RCB | 3 wickets | Eden Gardens | Apr 11, 2015 |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 30 runs | Eden Gardens | May 22, 2014 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 2 runs | Sharjah | Apr 24, 2014 |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 5 wickets | Ranchi | May 12, 2013 |
| RCB | KKR | RCB | 8 wickets | Bengaluru | Apr 11, 2013 |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 47 runs | Eden Gardens | Apr 28, 2012 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 42 runs | Bengaluru | Apr 10, 2012 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 9 wickets | Bengaluru | Sep 29, 2011 |
| RCB | KKR | RCB | 4 wickets | Bengaluru | May 14, 2011 |
| KKR | RCB | RCB | 9 wickets | Eden Gardens | Apr 22, 2011 |
| RCB | KKR | RCB | 7 wickets | Bengaluru | Apr 10, 2010 |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 7 wickets | Eden Gardens | Mar 14, 2010 |
| RCB | KKR | RCB | 6 wickets | Centurion | May 12, 2009 |
| RCB | KKR | RCB | 5 wickets | Durban | Apr 29, 2009 |
| KKR | RCB | KKR | 5 runs | Eden Gardens | May 8, 2008 |
| RCB | KKR | KKR | 140 runs | Bengaluru | Apr 18, 2008 |
KKR vs RCB 1st Match IPL 2025 Eden Gardens Record & Pitch Report
The surface at Eden Gardens is generally a spin wicket. But as seen in the last season, in the first half of the tournament, it was pretty flat, and some massive scores were scored here. Hence, we can expect another high-scoring game here, and teams love chasing here.
Eden Gardens in Kolkata is one of the famous venues in India. It has hosted many big matches at international matches. Even in the IPL, it is the place to host big games. If we look at the schedule of the IPL 2025, Eden Gardens will host the opening game, Qualifier 2, and the final of the tournament. Let’s dive into the Eden Gardens and IPL records here.
| Venue | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | ||
| Country | India | ||
| First IPL Match | 20/04/2008 | ||
| Last T20 Match | 11/05/2024 | ||
| Matches Played (IPL) | 93 | ||
| Matches Won Batting First | 38 (40.86%) | ||
| Matches Won Batting Second | 55 (59.14%) | ||
| Matches Won Winning Toss | 49 (52.69%) | ||
| Matches Won Losing Toss | 44 (47.31%) | ||
| Matches with No Result | 0 (0.00%) | ||
| Highest Individual Innings | 112* | R M Patidar (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | 25/05/2022 v Lucknow Super Giants |
| Best Bowling | 5/19 | S P Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders) | 15/04/2012 v Punjab Kings |
| Highest Team Innings | 262/2 (Punjab Kings) | 26/04/2024 v Kolkata Knight Riders | |
| Lowest Team Innings | 49 (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | 23/04/2017 v Kolkata Knight Riders | |
| Highest Run Chase Achieved | 262/2 (Punjab Kings) | 26/04/2024 v Kolkata Knight Riders | |
| Average Runs per Wicket | 27.77 | ||
| Average Runs per Over | 8.46 | ||
| Average Score Batting First | 162.78 | ||
KKR vs RCB 1st Match IPL 2025 Squads
These two teams will enter this match with a new captain leading them. Both sides retained their core players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. KKR retained Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy. RCB retained Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, and Yash Dayal. There were a few interesting signings for these two sides in the tournament. You can see the complete squads for these two sides here below.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Yash Dayal, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Andre Russell, Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Anrich Nortje, Harshit Rana, Moeen Ali, Vaibhav Arora, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy, Umran Malik.
KKR vs RCB 1st Match IPL 2025 Captains
Both teams will have a new captain for the IPL 2025. KKR made a surprise decision and released Shreyas Iyer, who won them the last season. They didn’t buy him back, which left them to search for a new leader. KKR bought veteran Ajinkya Rahane and has given him the captaincy now.
For RCB, they completely changed their squad, which also included the captaincy. The franchise released their captain, Faf du Plessis, and didn’t even try to buy him. Virat Kohli didn’t accept the captaincy, and the franchise then appointed the RCB star Rajat Patidar, who did some great jobs at the domestic circuit as captain, the new captain.
KKR vs RCB 1st Match IPL 2025 Predicted Playing XI
Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jacob Bethell/Romario Shepherd, Liam Livingstone, Josh Hazlewood, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
KKR vs RCB 1st Match IPL 2025 Live Streaming Details
The live telecast of the IPL 2025 will be available on Star Sports Networks and Sports 18 networks. Hence, you can watch the KKR vs RCB clash on these channels, and the telecast will be provided in the regional languages as well. Digitally, fans can watch the game on the Jio Hotstar app or website with an active subscription.
Here are the options to watch the game in other countries:
- UK: Sky Sports Network or Sky Sports App
- US: Willow TV Network / Sling, Direct TV, Fubo & Prime Video (Streaming)
- South Africa: SuperSport
- Australia: Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Yupp TV
- Canada: Willow TV, Yupp TV
- Caribbean Islands & Latin America: Flow Sports, Yupp TV
- France: Yupp TV
- Middle East: Noon
