On Saturday, March 22, the defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will square off in the first IPL 2025 encounter at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. Fans may be in for an extremely interesting battle, weather allowed.
Last season, KKR defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in a lopsided final to win the IPL for the third time. However, RCB overcame a terrible first half to get to the playoffs. But as their trip came to an end in the Eliminator, they once again fell short.
Bengaluru and Kolkata both start their IPL 2025 campaigns with new captains in charge. Ajinkya Rahane, an experienced batter who is a surprise pick but is capable of surprising many, will lead KKR. There were rumors that RCB could rely more on Virat Kohli’s leadership now that Faf du Plessis was no longer there. However, Rajat Patidar was ultimately selected as the team’s captain.
The IPL 2025 opener between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Kolkata Knight Riders has the potential to break a few records. Take a peek.
1. Virat Kohli could become first RCB batter to achieve massive feat against KKR
Over 31 innings, Virat Kohli has amassed 962 runs at an average of 38.48 and a strike rate of 132.14 against KKR. In his record versus Kolkata, the 36-year-old has amassed 106 fifties. He will become the first RCB batsman to reach 1,000 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders if he hits 38 runs in Saturday’s IPL 2025 opener at Eden Gardens.
Only two batters have scored 1,000 runs or more against KKR thus far. At the top of the leaderboard with 1.093 runs from 28 games is David Warner (SRH/DC). Rohit Sharma (Deccan Chargers/MI), who has 1,070 runs from 34 games versus the Kolkata Knight Riders, is the next best player after the Australian. All of Kohli’s games have been played for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Kohli would also become the first hitter to score 1,000 runs or more against four IPL clubs if he gets 38 against KKR on Saturday. Against two teams, Warner, Rohit, and Shikhar Dhawan have amassed 1,000 runs. Additionally, Kohli needs just 114 more runs to become the first Indian hitter to reach 13,000 T20 runs.
2. Sunil Narine two wickets away from creating history
In T20 cricket, Sunil Narine, an all-rounder for KKR, leads the team in wickets taken. The West Indian cricketer has taken 198 wickets at an economy rate of 6.65 and an average of 23.93 in 186 games, including eight four-fers and one five-fer. Narine would become the first bowler for the Kolkata Knight Riders to reach 200 wickets in T20 cricket if he grabs two wickets.
The 36-year-old’s versatility already holds the record for most IPL wickets collected by a single team. Narine has taken 180 wickets at an economy rate of 22.63 and an average of 25.39 in 177 games for KKR, including seven four-fers and one five-wicket haul. He ranks fifth overall among the IPL’s top wicket-takers. Only Yuzvendra Chahal (205) has taken more than 200 IPL wickets.
• Vaibhav Arora is 1 wicket away from 50 wickets in T20s.
• Sunil Narine is 3 sixes away from 100 sixes in IPL.
• Sunil Narine is 2 wickets away from 200 wickets for KKR
• Andre Russell is 16 runs away from 2500 runs in IPL. pic.twitter.com/yVKCA1sC7T
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) March 21, 2025In the meantime, Narine needs three more wickets to reach 100 IPL sixes. The left-handed batter has hit 164 fours and 97 sixes in 110 innings across 177 games. In the IPL, the southpaw has one hundred and seven fifties.
3. Andre Russell on verge of creating a stellar all-round record
In T20 cricket, KKR all-rounder Andre Russell is just nine runs away from reaching 2,500 runs for the team. The hard-hitting right-hander has hit 2,491 runs at an average of 29.65 and a strike rate of 175.91 in 126 games thus far, including 12 fifties and a best of 88*. In T20 cricket, the West Indian player has also taken 116 wickets for Kolkata with his medium pace.
The 36-year-old will become the first batsman from Kolkata to reach 2,500 runs and take 100 or more wickets in T20 cricket with nine runs. Narine has scored 1,535 runs for the team despite taking 198 wickets.
