Image Credits: The Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a dramatic batting collapse in the IPL 2025 season opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens, failing to capitalize on a strong start and finishing with a below-par total.
Bright start before the fall
After RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first, KKR’s innings began on a shaky note as Quinton de Kock was dismissed for just 4 runs in the very first over by Josh Hazlewood. However, Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane steadied the innings with a solid partnership, taking the team past 100 runs without further damage.
KKR was cruising at 107/1, but the game took a drastic turn when Narine fell on 9.6 overs. From there, the middle order crumbled under pressure, losing wickets at regular intervals. Ajinkya Rahane (109/3) and Venkatesh Iyer (125/4) departed soon after, and KKR found themselves in deep trouble.
Middle-order failure
Rinku Singh, known for his finishing abilities, failed to rescue the team this time, getting out for just 14 runs, leaving KKR at 145/5. Andre Russell tried to counter-attack but couldn’t last long, falling for 5. Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Harshit Rana were dismissed in the death overs as KKR limped to 173/8 in their 20 overs.
RCB bowlers shine
RCB’s bowlers put on an impressive performance, with Krunal Pandya leading the attack, taking 3 wickets for just 29 runs. Josh Hazlewood’s early breakthroughs helped set the tone, as he finished with figures of 2/22. Rasikh Salam and Suyash Sharma also contributed with a wicket each, ensuring KKR never recovered from their collapse.
With 173 on the board, KKR now relies on their bowlers to defend the total against RCB’s power-packed batting lineup.
