IPL 2025, Match - 1 | KKR vs RCB | Fantasy Tips, Prediction & Preview

Kolkata Knight Riders will play against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first match of the Indian Premier League 2025. Among IPL heavyweights, KKR is a formidable opponent and has the advantage at home. However, the RCB lineup is full of talented players who, when in form, can put on incredible shows. 

KKR are the defending champions and though they will be having a new leader in Ajinkya Rahane still have the same core that won them the title last year. The Knight Riders only lost three games last season and will want to start their title defence in style going into the tournament. 

On the other hand, RCB announced Rajat Patidar as their new skipper for the season and will once again keep their hopes of winning the trophy alive. RCB might have had a great comeback last season where they managed to edge through to the playoffs winning six in a row but their chances of winning the title were thwarted in the eliminator against Rajasthan Royals (RR). 

Match Timings

Match Toss Time - 07:00 PM IST (01:30 PM GMT)

Match Start Time - 07:30 PM IST (02:00 PM GMT)

Match Venue - Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Head to Head

Matches Played - 34

Kolkata Knight Riders won - 20        Royal Challengers Bengaluru won - 14

Last 5 meetings

Kolkata Knight Riders won - 04         Royal Challengers Bengaluru won - 01

Pitch Report

The surface at the Eden Gardens might give some assistance to the bowlers with some extra bounce, but it has mostly been a batting-friendly wicket where most of the matches have been won by the team bowling first. 

Weather Report

The weather forecast is expected to be cloudy and humid. There are 75% chances of rain during the game which may spoil the game. The temperature is likely to be around 27°C  with 80% humidity.

Probable Playing XI  

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - Quinton de Kock(wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy

Impact Player - Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) - Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar(c), Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma(wk), Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Impact Player - Phil Salt

Must Picks

KKR -  Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy

RCB - Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood

KKR vs RCB Fantasy Team

Wicket-Keeper : Phil Salt

Batters : Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Venkatesh Iyer

All-rounder : Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Liam Livingstone

Bowlers : Varun Chakravarthy, Josh Hazlewood, Anrich Nortje, Harshit Rana

Captain and Vice-Captain picks

Captain : Liam Livingstone

Vice-Captain : Sunil Narine

Prediction

Both sides have explosive batters capable of turning the game around, but RCB’s bowling looks less reliable than KKR’s, especially with their strong spin attack. With their strong track record against RCB and the advantage of playing at home, Kolkata Knight Riders are favorites to win this clash.

Sportco predicts Kolkata Knight Riders to beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first game of the Indian Premier League 2025.

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Cover Credits - IPL.com