Royal Challengers Bengaluru Triumph Over Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL Opener

RCB Secures Victory in IPL Season Opener

In a promising start to their quest for a first Indian Premier League title, Royal Challengers Bengaluru triumphed over the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders with a seven-wicket victory in the season opener held on Saturday.

Chasing a target of 175 runs, the three-time finalists achieved their goal comfortably in just 16.2 overs, thanks to Virat Kohli's unbeaten 59 and Phil Salt's explosive 56 at the top of the order.

Kohli, who was playing his 18th IPL season and 400th T20 match, continued to apply pressure on the Kolkata bowlers alongside new captain Rajat Patidar, who contributed 34 runs. Liam Livingstone sealed the win with a score of 15 not out.

Salt expressed his satisfaction with the 95-run partnership he formed with Kohli, which was crucial for their success. He remarked, “We haven’t batted much together, Virat and I, so to go out and put a partnership together was the most important thing for us in game one.”

He added, “It’s a ground I know very well. I had a clear and simple game plan and I would have liked to go on a bit longer, but it wasn’t to be.”

Earlier in the match, seamer Josh Hazlewood, returning from a hip injury that sidelined him during Australia’s Champions Trophy, made an impact by dismissing Quinton de Kock in the first over after Bengaluru won the toss and chose to bowl.

Despite pre-match concerns about thunderstorms, the game proceeded without interruption, and Kolkata aimed to set a record by becoming the first team to score over 300 runs in the league's history.

Ajinkya Rahane, leading Kolkata as captain, showcased aggressive batting with a quickfire 56 off 31 balls. However, his dismissal, along with Sunil Narine's 44, hindered the home side's momentum, leaving them with a total of 174/8, despite contributions from young Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who scored 30.

Rahane acknowledged the need for improvement, stating, “We have to learn from our mistakes. We have the batting power to go out and express ourselves. We tried our best but it didn’t work out today. We thought that 210-220 on this wicket would be achievable, but two to three wickets in the middle overs changed the momentum.”

Final scores: Kolkata Knight Riders: 174/8 in 20 overs (Rahane 56, Narine 44, Raghuvanshi 30; Krunal 3/29); Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 177/3 in 16.2 overs (Kohli 59*, Salt 56, Patidar 34).