IPL 2025, KKR vs RCB: A look at key battles
What's the story
The much-anticipated IPL 2025 season will kick off with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The match will be played on Saturday, March 22.
Both teams will be led by new captains this year—Ajinkya Rahane for KKR and Rajat Patidar for RCB.
KKR, the reigning three-time IPL champions, will look to start their title defense with a win.
The upcoming clash offers several enticing player battles. Let's decode the same.
#1
Sunil Narine vs Virat Kohli
Sunil Narine is among the most successful spinners in IPL history as his ability to choke runs makes him one of a kind.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Narine has dismissed RCB talisman Virat Kohli four times across 16 IPL innings.
Kohli has mustered 127 runs in this battle at a strike rate of 107.62. He has slammed 10 fours and two maximums.
Notably, Kohli finished IPL 2024 as the highest run-getter.
#2
Rajat Patidar vs Varun Chakravarthy
Another mystery KKR spinner who can shine in the upcoming game is Varun Chakravarthy.
His face-off with Rajat Patidar can be exciting as the latter is known to tackle spin well.
Patidar has fallen to the in-form spinner once across two IPL meetings.
However, the right-handed batter had a strike rate of 197.24 against spinners in IPL 2024.
Meanwhile, Chakravarthy has taken the most wickets against the Challengers since 2020 (14).
#3
Quinton de Kock vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
As both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Quinton de Kock open the proceedings in their respective departments, they are bound to tackle each other.
The former SRH pacer has dismissed the southpaw just once after bowling to him in 12 IPL innings.
However, de Kock has accumulated 57 runs off 58 in this battle.
Known for his ability to swing the new ball, Bhuvneshwar boasts the most powerplay wickets in IPL history (71).
#4
Venkatesh Iyer vs Josh Hazlewood
Venkatesh Iyer was instrumental to KKR's triumph last year.
Valuing the same, the team bought him for a henfty ₹23.75 crore at the mega auction.
His battle with Josh Hazlewood is to watch out for as the Australian pacer is known for his tight and accurate bowling.
However, his IPL economy of 9.32 versus left-handed batters is a bit on the higher side.
The southpaw has a strike rate of 140.84 against pace bowling.