IPL 2025 KKR vs RCB: The first game of the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) is scheduled to begin on Saturday evening at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The first match will feature the defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, starting at 7:30 PM IST.
This contest will begin another high-octane season of the world’s biggest cricket tournament. Both teams will enter the season with new captains. Ajinkya Rahane has been appointed the KKR captain, while Rajat Patidar has replaced Faf du Plessis as the new RCB captain. Both franchises did very well in buying great players at the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Also see: KKR vs RCB Toss Prediction
The mega auction has certainly changed the scenario of both sides, and these sides are looking very different. The first game is always challenging because it is very hard to find the right combination. It can be hard to find the best playing XI sometimes. But here we will talk about the possible playing XI for both sides.
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | Kolkata Knight Riders |
|---|---|
| Phil Salt (WK) | Quinton De Kock (WK) |
| Virat Kohli | Sunil Narine |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Venkatesh Iyer |
| Rajat Patidar (C) | Ajinkya Rahane (C) |
| Jitesh Sharma | Rinku Singh |
| Liam Livingstone | Andre Russell |
| Tim David | Ramandeep Singh |
| Krunal Pandya | Anrich Nortje |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Harshit Rana |
| Yash Dayal | Vaibhav Arora |
| Josh Hazlewood | Varun Chakravarthy |
Also see: KKR vs RCB Match Prediction
IPL 2025 Opening Match: Predicted Playing XI for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will have a big onus of defending their title. They let go their trophy-winning captain, Shreyas Iyer, last season. Ajinkya Rahane will lead the team in the IPL 2025. The team retained five players, who will be featuring in the playing XI directly.
Also see: KKR vs RCB Dream11 Prediction
With no Phil Salt at the top, KKR have an option to choose from Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. We think De Kock might get an edge over Salt because of his experience in the IPL. Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora will be Indian seamers. They might add Anrich Nortje as the overseas quick. Here is the possible predicted XI for KKR for the IPL 2025 opening match.
KKR Predicted XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane ©, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Anrich Nortje, Harshit Rana, Viabhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy
IPL 2025 Opening Match: Predicted Playing XI for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Unlike KKR, Royal Challengers Bengaluru look to have a more settled lineup. They have to make a few decisions, and the rest looks settled. Virat Kohli and Phil Salt are expected to open the innings. RCB have brought back Devdutt Paddikal, and he will bat at no. 3.
Captain Rajat Patidar will bat no. 4. Then, there can be a toss-up between Tim David or Jacob Bethell for an overseas batter. Jitesh Sharma will surely be there. The bowling department will have Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, and Yash Dayal. Josh Hazlewood, if fit, will come straight away into the playing XI.
KKR Predicted XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar ©, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma or Rasik Salam (impact player)
