IPL 2025: Did 'Impact Players' shine in KKR-RCB clash?
What's the story
The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off with an exciting contest between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
RCB won the match, chasing down a target of 175 runs at Eden Gardens.
The team's openers, Philip Salt and Virat Kohli, were instrumental in the win.
But it was Krunal Pandya's brilliant show that stole the show for the Challengers.
Meanwhile, here we look at how the 'Impact Players' fared in the game.
Summary
How did the game pan out?
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane played an explosive innings while operating at number three.
He scored an impressive 56 runs off just 31 balls and added a significant 103-run partnership with Sunil Narine, who made 44.
Krunal dented KKR with three wickets in the middle overs, restricting them to 174/8.
RCB's openers, Salt (56) and Kohli (59*), played a pivotal role in the successful chase.
Their brilliance meant RCB (177/3) prevailed in just 16.2 overs.
KKR
Vaibhav Arora - A flop show by KKR pacer
Pacer Vaibhav Arora was KKR's 'Impact Player' as he replaced Angkrish Raghuvanshi in the second innings.
The right-arm pacer had a tough time in the powerplay overs as Salt and Kohli were on a roll.
He eventually trapped Rajat Patidar (34) in the 16th over but it was too late.
Arora hence finished with 1/42 from three overs. His economy of 14 was the highest in the game.
It was hence a poor show from the fast bowler.
RCB
Padikkal falters with bat
For RCB, Devdutt Padikkal came in as the 'Impact Player' in the run chase. He had displaced leg-spinner Suyash Sharma.
Chasing 175, RCB were comfortably placed at 95/1 when the southpaw arrived to bat. However, he still was not able to create an impact.
Though he smashed a four, Sunil Narine eventually trapped him for a run-a-ball 10. Hence, RCB's 'Impact Player' was also a flop.