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CLAIM NOWKolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, IPLT20, Today Match Prediction
KKR vs RCB Win Probability
Toss Winner - Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and choose to bowl first
Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 wickets
KKR have had RCB's number in recent years, taking four wins in their previous five matchups.
- Virat Kohli is closing in on 1000 runs in the IPL vs KKR. Currently, he is at 962 runs from 34 matches against them with one hundred and six fifties.
- The last time RCB beat KKR at the Eden Gardens was back in April 2019. Overall, they have managed just one win at the venue against KKR over the last five games.
- The highest total chased at the Eden Gardens in IPL history is Punjab Kings’ 262-2 (18.4 overs) versus Kolkata Knight Riders last season.
Kolkata Knight Riders are our picks for the IPL season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
| Tournament: | Indian Premier League, 2025 |
| Format: | t20 |
| Venue: | Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India |
| Toss Prediction: | To Bowl |
| Weather: | 24.1°C|Mist |
KKR vs RCB Live Prediction
KKR vs RCB Match Prediction & Analysis
Cricket's biggest party is upon us! The 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off this Saturday night with a blockbuster matchup - defending champs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) hosting their fierce rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the iconic Eden Gardens. KKR stands tall among IPL powerhouses and holds the edge on home turf. That said, RCB's lineup glitters with talent and can deliver knockout performances when they're clicking. Expect fireworks in this opener.
KKR vs RCB Betting News
KKR vs RCB - WHO WILL TAKE MOST WICKETS IN TODAY'S MATCH?
Varun Chakravarthy, Harshith Rana and Josh Hazlewood are the top bowlers with the best chance of taking more wickets in the first match of IPL 2025 between KKR and RCB
KKR vs RCB - WHO WILL SCORE MOST RUNS IN TODAY'S MATCH?
Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Quinton de Kock are the top batsman who are likely to dominate in the season opener between KKR and RCB in the 18th edition of IPL
Memorable Recent Match 1 IPL Performances
The 2025 IPL begins on Saturday 22 March. We look back on some top performers of previous opening games of the tournament from the last two seasons.
IPL 2025 - KKR vs RCB, Eden Gardens Records
KKR vs RCB will be the 1st Match in IPL 2025. We bring you the records and stats for KKR vs RCB at the Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium.
RECENT PERFORMANCE
KKR
W W W W W
KKR
145/10 in 18.5 7.7
169/10 in 19.5 8.52
157/3 in 16.3 9.52
153/9 in 20.0 7.65
RCB
L W W W W
RCB
174/6 in 19.0 9.16
172/8 in 20.0 8.6
218/5 in 20.0 10.9
191/7 in 20.0 9.55
187/9 in 20.0 9.35
140/10 in 19.1 7.3
181/10 in 17.0 10.65
241/7 in 20.0 12.05
152/6 in 13.4 11.12
147/10 in 19.3 7.54
HEAD TO HEAD
Last 4 Matches
Show More Show Less
182/6 in 20.0
186/3 in 16.5
179/8 in 20.0
IPL 2023
Kolkata Knight Riders won by 21 runs
200/5 in 20.0
204/7 in 20.0
IPL 2023
Kolkata Knight Riders won by 81 runs
123/10 in 17.4
TEAMS PREVIEW
Kolkata Knight Riders Preview
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) enter IPL 2025 with their sights set on back-to-back titles and a fourth championship overall. Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side this time, which has a solid core and fresh talent to strengthen the squad. However, injuries have disrupted their plans, leading to last-minute adjustments before the season begins.
Sunil Narine had a career-best season with the bat last year, scoring 488 runs in 14 innings at a blistering strike rate of 180.74. He is expected to open alongside Quinton de Kock, while Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer will be key figures in the middle order.
KKR have a strong set of finishers in Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh, all capable of inflicting serious damage in the final overs. Russell and Singh, in particular, have shown they can rack up 80-100 runs in the last six overs when they find their rhythm.
In the pace attack, Anrich Nortje steps in for Mitchell Starc from last season, while Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, and Varun Chakravarthy continue to be part of the Indian bowling unit. Nortje and Rana are known to be expensive at times, so RCB’s batters will likely target them during the powerplay.
Meanwhile, the spin department remains a major strength, with Narine and Chakravarthy making it difficult for opponents to score freely in the middle overs. If the surface offers any assistance, their spell could end up being the deciding factor in the game.
KKR Over/Under Betting Tips
Varun Chakravarthy is in the best of form in T20s at the moment, against RCB in the two matches he has played at Eden Gardens, he managed to take 5 wickets at an economy of 6.65. Over the last five seasons, Chakravarthy has picked up 21 wickets in 15 matches at Kolkata at an average of 24.28 and strike rate of 16.1. Given his current form and the spin friendly track, we back Varun Chakravarthy to pick more than 1 wicket against RCB.
Sunil Narine has scored 112 runs in 5 innings against RCB at Eden Gardens, averaging 28 and striking at 164.70. The left hander will have a tougher challenge against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has troubled him in the past and dismissed him twice. We predict RCB's new ball bowling pair to dismiss Sunil Narine early in the innings and his score to be under 18.
Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:
Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Impact Player), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy
Kolkata Knight Riders Actual Playing XI:
Quinton de Kock, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ajinkya Rahane, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Preview
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head into the 18th IPL season still searching for their first-ever title. Last year, they made a thrilling late-season push, stringing together six straight wins to sneak into the playoffs, edging past Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on net run rate. Their journey, however, ended in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
With Rajat Patidar stepping in as captain and a few fresh faces in the squad, RCB will be hoping this could finally be their breakthrough season.
Batting firepower has always been their strong suit, and this year is no different with Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, and Liam Livingstone forming a top order that can take apart any bowling attack. Kohli topped the scoring charts last season, amassing 741 in 15 matches at an average of 61.75. Given his current form, he’ll be central to their batting efforts once again.
Their lineup of all-rounders—Krunal Pandya, Jacob Bethell, and Tim David—adds depth to both departments, providing stability.
Meanwhile, the addition of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar strengthens a pace unit that has often been a weak link for RCB in the past. However, the squad lacks an experienced frontline spinner, which could be a problem on slower pitches. Another concern is that their middle-order hitters, suited for finishing roles, may struggle if required to rebuild an innings early.
RCB Over/Under Betting Tips
Known as the spin basher and the newly appointed captain of RCB, Patidar has fond memories at Eden Gardens, where he smashed a match winning 100 against LSG. In the only game he played against KKR at Kolkata he smashed a valiant half century (52). Patidar has scored 424 runs at an average of 53 against spinners in IPL and has a strike rate of 177.40. He is key to RCB's batting in the middle overs and we back him to come good in the season opener against KKR.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Predicted Playing XI:
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (Impact Player), Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Actual Playing XI:
Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam Dar, Josh Hazlewood, Virat Kohli, Suyash Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Philip Salt, Timothy David
PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
Weather Conditions
T20 cricket at Eden Gardens, especially in the IPL, generally sees a batting-friendly surface. The flat wicket offers true bounce, allowing batters to play their shots confidently. Though batters generally have an edge at this venue, the pitch tends to slow down as the innings progresses, giving spinners more assistance in the later stages.
Rain threat looms over the season opener as some showers are predicted on Saturday evening in Kolkata.
KKR vs RCB Pitch Report
Pitch Condition
BattingBatting Conditions
High ScoringPace Bowling
SwingSpin Bowling
High Turn
Eden Gardens commonly sees an average first-innings score of 167, but last season was a different story. The venue witnessed eight totals crossing the 200-run mark, showing a shift towards higher-scoring games. The pitch is likely to remain favorable for batters this time around, and with the ground’s shorter boundaries, teams batting first will aim for a target in the range of 210-220.
Total Over/Under Betting Tips
The average total match scores in the last 7 IPL games played at Eden Gardens is 393.4. The last time RCB and KKR squared off at Kolkata it was high scoring encounter, where the total match score was 443. Both teams have a pretty good batting lineup, but the conditions being overcast, we predict it to be a moderate scoring game and predict the total match score to be under 366 runs.
We back the home team and defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders to win the coin toss in the 1st match of IPL 2025.
Toss: To Bowl
Teams batting second have had the upper hand at Eden Gardens, with four out of seven matches last season won by the chasing side. Given the expected cloudy and damp weather, opting to bowl first could prove to be a smart move.
KKR vs RCB
Winning Prediction
Kolkata Knight Riders have had the upper hand over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in recent meetings, winning four of their last five clashes. RCB's last victory against them came way back in March 2022. Both sides have explosive batters capable of turning the game around, but RCB’s bowling looks less reliable than Kolkata’s, especially with their strong spin attack. With their strong track record against RCB and the advantage of playing at home, the defending champions enter as favorites to walk away with the win in the season opener.
Kolkata Knight Riders are our picks for the IPL season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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