IPL 2025: Kohli, Salt Blitz Propel RCB to Victory

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2025.
Virat Kohli and Philip Salt smashed brilliant half-centuries.
KKR posted 174/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
RCB chased down the target in 16.2 overs with 7 wickets to spare.
Krunal Pandya shone with the ball, taking 3 crucial wickets.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) kicked off their Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) campaign with a resounding victory, defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 7 wickets. Philip Salt (56 off 31), Virat Kohli (59* off 36), and Krunal Pandya (3/29) were the standout performers for RCB. The excitement of IPL 2025 has begun.

Match Summary

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Played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, KKR posted 174/7 in their 20 overs, with captain Ajinkya Rahane scoring a brilliant half-century (56 off 31). In response, RCB chased down the target in just 16.2 overs. Virat Kohli and Philip Salt led the charge with explosive batting. With this win, RCB also broke their four-match losing streak against KKR.

RCB’s chase got off to a flying start as Philip Salt drove Vaibhav Arora for a boundary through the covers. Kohli also got into his groove, scoring a boundary with his trademark flick shot. The duo scored 12 runs in the opening over. RCB’s batting was exceptional.

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Salt further accelerated, smashing Arora for two fours and a six in his second over. Seeing the game slipping away, captain Rahane brought in his strike bowler, Varun Chakravarthy. However, Salt was unstoppable, hitting Chakravarthy for four consecutive boundaries, including a six. Philip Salt’s explosive innings gave RCB a strong start.

Thanks to Salt’s mayhem, RCB reached 50 in just 22 balls and went on to score their second-highest powerplay score in IPL history, finishing at 80/0 in six overs. Salt brought up his half-century off 25 balls. KKR finally got their first breakthrough when Spencer Johnson caught Salt at short third man off Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling. KKR’s bowling was not effective.

After Salt’s dismissal, Kohli ensured that the pressure didn’t ease on KKR’s bowlers, also reaching his half-century off 30 balls. He was well-supported by Rajat Patidar (34 off 16), and the duo added a quick-fire 44 runs off 23 balls, bringing RCB close to victory. In the end, Liam Livingstone (15* off 5) finished the game for RCB. Virat Kohli’s half-century was crucial.

Earlier in the day, RCB captain Rajat Patidar’s decision to bowl first was justified when Josh Hazlewood dismissed Quinton de Kock in the first over itself. De Kock couldn’t capitalize even after being dropped by Suyash Sharma. After the early wicket, captain Ajinkya Rahane came in to bat and joined Sunil Narine at the crease. Rajat Patidar’s decision proved correct.

Krunal Pandya Derails KKR’s Innings

The duo batted cautiously for a few overs before Rahane took on Rasikh Salam Dar, hitting him for a boundary and consecutive sixes. At the other end, Narine, who had scored just 5 off his first 11 balls, got his innings going with a maximum against Krunal Pandya over long-on. KKR’s innings started slowly.

From there on, Rahane and Narine forged a 103-run partnership off 55 balls. Rahane shone in his captaincy debut for KKR, reaching his half-century off just 25 balls. Ajinkya Rahane’s half-century supported the team.

With Rahane and Narine in the middle, KKR were aiming for a score in excess of 200, but they lost Narine (44 off 26), putting the team in trouble. Rahane (56 off 35) also fell to Krunal Pandya. Krunal Pandya took important wickets.

The left-arm spinner continued to trouble KKR’s batsmen, dismissing Venkatesh Iyer (6 off 7) in the 13th over. He then took the big wicket of Rinku Singh (12 off 10). Suyash Sharma’s bowling also troubled KKR.

At the other end, Suyash Sharma made amends, dismissing Andre Russell (4 off 3). The spin twins, Pandya and Suyash, completely derailed KKR’s innings, restricting them to 174/8 in their 20 overs. KKR’s batting was weak.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember

Virat Kohli and Philip Salt’s brilliant batting led RCB to victory in IPL 2025.
Krunal Pandya’s excellent bowling performance yielded 3 crucial wickets.
Ajinkya Rahane scored a half-century for KKR, but couldn’t secure a win for his team.
The spin duo of Pandya and Suyash derailed KKR’s innings.
RCB broke their four-match losing streak against KKR.