IPL 2025
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Live Score, IPL 2025: Virat Kohli and Phil Salt are off to an aggressive start in their run chase. RCB need a modest 175 runs to win the match but have the threat of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy to deal with in the middle overs.
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Kolkata (KKR) vs Bengaluru (RCB) Live Score, IPL 2025 (AP Photo)
Hi and welcome to the live coverage of KKR vs RCB, IPL 2025 Matchday 1 from Kolkata.
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Mar 22, 2025 21:45 IST
KKR bring in Varun Chakravarthy straightaway
KKR panic and bring in Varun Chakravarthy very early in the innings. Varun usually bowls the 6th over of the match and but has to bowl the 4th now.
Would this pay off?
Mar 22, 2025 21:41 IST
RCB batting: Top start from Kohli, Salt
Phil Salt knows this ground very well and he is showing that in the early overs of the match. Salt has taken on Spencer Johnson and Vaibhav Arora and RCB are off to a flying start.
Virat Kohli has faced just 2 balls, out of which he has hit a boundary already.
Salt and Kohli attack Vaibhav Arora in the 3rd over and take 20 runs from the fast bowler.
Live Score:
Mar 22, 2025 21:29 IST
KKR vs RCB Live: Salt starts with a boundary
Phil Salt drives Vaibhav Arora for a boundary through covers on the very first ball to get RCB’s chase off to a rollicking start. The England batter starts his much-awaited stint with RCB with a four while Virat Kohli also begins with a four on the fifth ball. It’s a good over to begin with for RCB.
RCB – 12/0 in 1 overs vs KKR chasing 175. Salt (5*) Kohli (6*).
Mar 22, 2025 21:27 IST
KKR vs RCB: Virat Kohli walks out to open with Philip Salt
RCB batter Virat Kohli is walking out to open the innings alongside Philip Salt as they begin their chase of 175. The duo will hope for a good start in the powerplay to set the tone for the rest of the innings. Kohli can continue to bat in his usual anchor fashion with the rest of the batters batting around him. Meanwhile, KKR have brought on Vaibhav Arora as an impact substitute for Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
Mar 22, 2025 21:16 IST
RCB bowled pretty well: Angkrish
The young batter says that RCB bowled very very well in the second half of the innings. He says that the balls from fast bowlers gripped into the surface, which proved to be the difference.
Angkrish says that KKR have a top bowling attack and they are confident of defending this total.
Mar 22, 2025 21:13 IST
KKR batting: 174/8 in 20 overs
Kolkata Knight Riders get restricted to 174 runs in 20 overs.
Less than 70 runs were scored in the final 10, where KKR lost 6 wickets.
KKR perhaps were hoping for 230+ runs, but they have got just 174 to defend.
The dew is setting in, which might prove to be a major issue in the second innings of the match.
Mar 22, 2025 21:10 IST
KKR vs RCB: Hazlewood bowls the final
Slower bouncers. That’s it, that’s all that RCB pacers are bowling right now. And it has worked very well for them.
Angkrish’s wicket has got Harshit Rana at the crease, who has missed out on the pull shot in the first three balls of the over.
Harshit gets some bat on the 4th, which goes over the top of the keeper for four runs. Much needed for KKR.
19.5: But he cannot keep that up. Hazlewood sticks with the plan. Goes short, this time into the bodyand Harshit top edges the ball, into the hands of Jitesh Sharma, who runs behind and pouches the ball.
Mar 22, 2025 21:04 IST
KKR vs RCB Live: Yash Dayal bowls 19th
RCB are trusting the slower balls. They are giving no pace to work with at all.
And it gives them the rewards. Edged and Gone! Angkrish falls victim to the slog this time. This is turning out to be a sensational comeback from RCB in Kolkata.
Dayal gives just 4 runs in the over and takes away one wicket! Sensational to say the least.
18.5: Yash Dayal to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Yash Dayal gets his first wicket and it makes a better over, much more better for him. Takes the pace off from the leather, does Yash Dayal, on a good length, angling across off, with a bit of an extra bounce off the surface. Angkrish Raghuvanshi weighs on the back foot to pull over the leg side, but is through his shot marginally early and the outside edge is found. The ball carries to the keeper and Jitesh Sharma takes a safe catch.
Live Score:
Mar 22, 2025 21:00 IST
KKR vs RCB Live: Hazlewood to bowl 18th
Josh Hazlewood starts off the final 3 overs of the match.
He keeps it short against Angkrish Raghuvanshi who is unable to manage the bounce and especially the back of the length area that he hits on the pitch.
After getting beaten on the first 2 balls, Raghuvanshi throws his bat at the knuckle ball. Hits it over long on for a six. What a stunning shot. This guy is a real talent.
Hazlewood gives away 10 runs in his 3rd over.
Live Score:
Mar 22, 2025 20:58 IST
107/2 in 10 to 151/6: RCB bring in Impact Sub
What a massive change these last 6 overs have made. KKR were looking like they would score at the excess of 200, they still can, but their confidence woulf have taken a massive hit.
Ramandeep Singh is in, and has young Angkrish Raghuvanshi as his partner.
Suyash completes his spell of 4-0-47-1.
RCB have brought in Devdutt Padikkal as their Impact Sub, in place of Suyash Sharma.
He becomes the first change of the season.
Mar 22, 2025 20:51 IST
Massive comeback from RCB!! Russell departs for just 4
Suyash Sharma can finally smile! He has been thrown around the park in this match, but Suyash has managed to dismiss Andre Russell, KKR’s biggest asset in this phase of the game.
From 100/1, KKR have crashed down to 150/6 in a space of less than just 6 overs.
15.4: Suyash Sharma to Andre Russell, OUT! OUTFOXED, OUTCLASSED! A big, big wicket for RCB as Suyash Sharma has the last laugh! Sharma dishes out a deceptive googly, and pitches it outside off, on a fuller length. Andre Russell sits down to slog it aerially in the leg side, but does not find enough room to access his shot. The ball lands and sharply turns back into the batter, beats Dre Russ’ bat and sneaks through between the bat and pad, and crashes into the wickets.
Live Score:
Mar 22, 2025 20:48 IST
KKR vs RCB, Kolkata Live: 3 for Krunal Pandya!
Talk about impact! When your best bowlers are being smashes away for runs, Krunal Pandya has managed to pick up wickets of three very very important batters.
First Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer, and now Krunal has castled Rinku Singh with a faster one as well.
Rinku departs for 12 off 10, definitely not the outing he wanted to have.
Live Score:
Mar 22, 2025 20:42 IST
RCB bring in Liam Livingstone
Smart captaincy from Rajat Patidar. Sees a slow phase of the game and brings in his part-timer to sneak one over in.
Liam Livingstone comes to bowl.
The England all-rounder bowls off spin. He gets hit for just a single boundary in the over, but constant rotation of strike from Rinku and Angkrish has helped KKR bag 10 runs in that over.
13.4: Liam Livingstone to Rinku Singh, FOUR! Short and punished! Not all that short from Liam, on off, Rinku presses on the back foot and firms the pull to the left of long on for a boundary.
Live Score:
Mar 22, 2025 20:41 IST
Opinion Thread: Is KKR batting stronger or weaker this season?
KKR have not made a lot of changes this season to their batting line-up.
Salt and Shreyas are the only 2 players to go out. How has it left them?
Alan John: The batting is again depending a lot on the top order. The middle order was untested last season and it seems to be taking a toll now. What seemed like a score set for 200+ may end up with 180 odd.
Kingshuk Kusari: I think that the lower order is sensational. It is powerpacked as hell. But I think that Rahane, despite his sensational show this match will wane off in conditions that will be less flat than this. And also, Salt, in the form that he was last season. That might be a little difficult to replicate. Slightly worse I would say. But still very strong.
Saurabh Kumar: KKR batting doesn’t seem to have any flaw. With Ajinkya Rahane scoring runs at the top, KKR fans are in for a threat this season. The most threatening part for any bowling attack will be RRR of KKR. Rinku, Russell and Ramandeep batting at No.6, No. 7 and No. 8. One of the best batting line-ups of this season if Quinton de Kock gets going too.
Akshay Ramesh: They look as threatening as they were last year. Ajinkya Rahane, in this form, is an upgrade to Shreyas Iyer in T20 batting. However, Phil Salt is a big miss and Quinton de Kock is rusty. If QDK finds form, then they are going to be even more lethal. Look at the way they are swinging despite losing wickets. They are built for 200-plus scores.
Mar 22, 2025 20:36 IST
KKR vs RCB: Krunal gets back to back wickets
Krunal Pandya gets back to back wickets! First he managed to dismiss Rahane and now he has played-on Venkatesh Iyer, the KKR vice-captain.
Length ball, bowled at good pace, Iyer looks to place the ball through the leg side with a straight bat. He gets an inside edge and the ball crashes into the stumps.
This brings out Rinku Singh at No.6
Live Score:
Mar 22, 2025 20:32 IST
KKR run-rate steady despite wickets
Kolkata Knight Riders are going steady despite the loss of two back to back wickets.
In the 10th and the 11th over, KKR lost 2 wickets and scored 14 runs.
Right now they have Venkatesh Iyer and Angkrish Raghuvanshi at the crease.
They are both good players of spin, especially Raghuvanshi, who has started with aggressive intent against Suyash Sharma.
The former KKR spinner is not having a good day and has given away 41 off his 3 overs already.
Live Score:
Mar 22, 2025 20:29 IST
KKR vs RCB Live: Back to back wickets; Rahane out!
One brings two. Just after Narine, Rahane departs trying to hit Krunal Pandya for a six through the backward square leg region.
10.3: Krunal Pandya to Ajinkya Rahane, OUT! TAKEN! Krunal Pandya strikes on his return to the attack! A double whammy for RCB. A wonderful innings comes to an end from the KKR skipper. Krunal spears it into the right-hander from around the wicket, on a nagging length, Rahane crouches a bit to get under the ball and pull it away. The ball gets a bit too close to him and he neither gets the distance nor the elevation.
Meanwhile
Mar 22, 2025 20:24 IST
Sunil Narine Out after KKR go past 100
Lucky break for RCB! Rasik Dar gets the important wicket of Rahane right at the nick of time. Final ball of the 10th over. The extra bounce from Rasik Dar takes the edge of Narine, back to the keeper Jitesh Sharma.
It was a 10-run over where KKR were going well, but Narine falls for 44 off just 26 balls trying to slash the ball through the off side.
9.6: Rasikh Salam to Sunil Narine, OUT! EDGED AND CAUGHT BEHIND! Finally, RCB get a breakthrough! Rasikh stays around the stumps and pitches it on the good length, just around off. It just bounces a bit more off the surface as Sunil Narine tries to clear the in-field on the off side, but due to that excessive bounce, the ball gets heavy on the batter and the outside edge is found. It lobs straight into the safe gloves of Jitesh Sharma who completes a regulation catch. An entertaining inning from Sunil Narine comes to an end, as he departs for 44 (26). KKR are 107/2.
Live Score:
Mar 22, 2025 20:22 IST
Opinion Thread
What is RCB bowling unit’s problem?
India Today journalists analyse this bowling meltdown that RCB are currently having.
Akshay Ramesh: Have they got the selection wrong? Why did they leave out Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Swapnil Singh? It’s too early to say they have a bad bowling group. But yea, the spin bowling unit lacks variety. They also haven’t been brave enough to throw Liam Livinstone into the mix. Who knows? On this Eden pitch, maybe the par score is 210. And RCB will do well.
Saurabh Kumar: RCB do not have any quality pacer or spinner apart from Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in their squad. Rasikh Dar Salam can’t be bowling in powerplay. And more importantly if spin is not your strength why will you play two spinners?
Kingshuk Kusari: The lack of a prime spinner stands out. They only have Suyash Sharma, who the KKR guys know everything about. If Suyash fails, there is no one to go to as the pacers are expected to get hit for runs on this deck.
Mar 22, 2025 20:21 IST
22 in the 9th over: KKR punish Suyash Sharma
Six from Ajinkya Rahane in the first ball and 10 runs from the final 2 balls by Sunil Narine. KKR are toying with Suyash Sharma right now. The spinner bowls at a good pace, and both batters are simply using that to play some stunning pick up shots in this innings.
This does not look good for RCB.
Live Score:
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