Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Preview & Prediction

Match Info

Match: KKR vs RCB, 1st Match, Indian Premier League 2025
Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025
Time: 11:00 PM
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad Playing:

Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Luvnith Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh , Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Venkatesh Iyer, Moeen Ali, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson

KKR enters IPL 2025 as the defending champions, having dominated IPL 2024 with clinical performances in the playoffs and final. The team boasts a solid combination of experienced campaigners and explosive young talents. Their batting lineup is strengthened by the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, and Andre Russell, while the all-round depth of Sunil Narine, Moeen Ali, and Venkatesh Iyer makes them a formidable unit. Their bowling attack, spearheaded by Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakravarthy, and Umran Malik, has both pace and spin options to exploit Eden Gardens’ conditions.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad Playing:

Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Swastik Chikara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Philip Salt, Manoj Bhandage, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh

RCB had a strong finish in IPL 2024, winning four consecutive matches before falling short in the Eliminator. Their squad is built around star players like Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, and Philip Salt, ensuring a solid top order. The middle-order firepower of Tim David, Liam Livingstone, and Romario Shepherd provides them with the ability to finish games strongly. Bowling-wise, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Lungi Ngidi will lead the attack, supported by spin options like Swapnil Singh and Mohit Rathee.

Recent Performance

KKR: W A NR W W

May 26, 2024, Final, KKR vs SRH
KKR won by 8 wickets (with 57 balls remaining)
May 21, 2024, Qualifier 1, KKR vs SRH
KKR won by 8 wickets (with 38 balls remaining)
May 19, 2024, 70th Match, KKR vs RR
No result (abandoned with a toss)
May 13, 2024, 63rd Match, KKR vs GT
Match abandoned without a ball bowled
May 11, 2024, 60th Match, KKR vs MI
KKR won by 18 runs

RCB: W W W W L

May 22, 2024, Eliminator, RCB vs RR
RR won by 4 wickets (with 6 balls remaining)
May 18, 2024, 68th Match, RCB vs CSK
RCB won by 27 runs
May 12, 2024, 62nd Match, RCB vs DC
RCB won by 47 runs
May 09, 2024, 58th Match, RCB vs PBKS
RCB won by 60 runs
May 04, 2024, 52nd Match, RCB vs GT
RCB won by 4 wickets (with 38 balls remaining)

KKR enters the match with strong form, having lifted the IPL 2024 trophy, while RCB also had a strong finish last season, making this a high-stakes opener.

Head to head Last 5 Matches

KKR won by 1 run
KKR won by 7 wickets (with 19 balls remaining)
KKR won by 21 runs
KKR won by 81 runs
RCB won by 3 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)

KKR has had the upper hand in recent encounters, winning four of the last five meetings. RCB will need to break this streak to start their 2025 campaign positively.

Prediction:

Given KKR’s dominant record against RCB, their strong squad depth, and the familiarity with Eden Gardens conditions, they enter the match as slight favorites. However, if RCB’s top order, led by Kohli and Salt, fires early, they can pose a significant challenge. Expect a close contest, with KKR having the edge due to their recent form and head-to-head dominance.

Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders to win in a tight contest.