The stage is set for a blockbuster start to the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) as defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (

KKR

) face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the tournament opener at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Both teams embark on a new chapter under fresh leadership — Ajinkya Rahane takes charge of KKR, while Rajat Patidar leads RCB. The squads have also undergone significant overhauls following last year’s mega auction in Jeddah, giving both sides a refreshed look.
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KKR will aim to kick off their title defence on a winning note, while Patidar’s RCB will be determined to turn the page on past disappointments. Adding to the excitement, Eden Gardens will witness Virat Kohli’s much-anticipated return to T20 cricket, his first appearance in the format since retiring after India’s T20 World Cup triumph last year. The home crowd will surely relish watching the Indian icon back in action.

The Eden Gardens pitch is renowned for being a batter-friendly surface, especially in the IPL. It usually offers a flat track with consistent bounce, allowing batters to play their shots with confidence. However, compared to the even flatter pitches seen last season in venues like Bengaluru and Hyderabad, Eden Gardens offers a touch more assistance for bowlers, adding a bit of balance to the contest.

KKR: Venkatesh Iyer will be the one to watch from a Kolkata Knight Riders standpoint as the biggest buy for the franchise at the mega auction. Another to watch is Varun Chakravarthy having made a mark at the Champions Trophy and secondly for his ability to halt Virat Kohli over the years. It would be interesting if he can do the same today
RCB: Virat Kohli will play his 400th T20 when he takes the field for RCB this season. He is already the leading scorer in IPL history and could achieve the milestone of scoring 1000 runs against four different franchises.

KKR squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Venkatesh Iyer (vice-captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rovman Powell (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Luvnith Sisodia (wk), Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Mayank Markande, Anrich Nortje, Umran Malik, Varun Chakravarthy.
RCB squad: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.

Both teams have played each 34 times in the IPL, with KKR holding an edge with 20 wins. The last five games have gone in KKR's favour as they won on four occasions. RCB's last win against KKR came in IPL 2022.

RCB Predicted XI: Phil Salt (wk), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell/Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
KKR Predicted XI: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson/Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora