KKR vs RCB Match Prediction: Who will win the Indian Premier League 2025 Match 1?
KKR vs RCB Match Details
The Indian Premier League 2025, one of the most competitive T20 leagues in the world, is scheduled to begin on March 22, which is just a few days away and the BCCI has already announced the schedule for the IPL 2025, which will commence with season’s two most popular teams, the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It will be interesting to see which team will begin their campaign with an important victory.
However, cricket fans can expect that this 18th season of the IPL promises plenty of excitement, thrills, and entertainment. The first IPL 2025 match is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST on Saturday, March 22, 2025. Cricket fans can use the JioHotstar app to view the action online or watch it live on the Star Sports Network.
| Match Info | |
|---|---|
| Series | Indian Premier League, 2025 |
| Match | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, KKR vs RCB 1st match |
| Venue | Eden Gardens |
| City | Bengaluru |
| Match Start Time | 7:30 PM IST – Saturday, 22 March, 2025 |
| TV Channel | Star Sports & Sports18 Network |
| Live Streaming | JioHotstar |
KKR vs RCB Head-to-Head Record
In the 35 encounters between KKR and RCB throughout IPL history, KKR clinically outperformed Royal Challengers Bengaluru in this rivalry, winning 21 games while RCB managed to win just 14. This demonstrated KKR’s sheer dominance over RCB since the IPL’s inception. And if we look at their last five encounters against one another, in which KKR displayed excellent performance against RCB and was able to win four matches, while RCB managed to win in only one encounter.
| Number of Matches Played | 35 |
| Won by KKR | 21 |
| Won by RCB | 14 |
| No Result (NR) | 00 |
| Most Recent Fixtures | April 21, 2024 (KKR won by 1 run) |
| First ever Fixture | April 18, 2008 (KKR won by 140 runs) |
| Last 5 matches | KKR 04 – 01 RCB |
KKR vs RCB Pitch Report & Weather Conditions
Eden Gardens’ pitch is recognized for being bat-friendly in the first inning. Batters are highly favored. However, as the game progresses, spinners will enter the picture as the ground becomes drier and the balls begin to grip better. According to the pitch’s overall statistics, teams that bat first have scored approximately 160 runs on average.
So, on this pitch, it’s advisable to field first, keeping the other team’s total under control in the first inning, and then. Chased down the target later, since the batting second team performed better at this venue, as demonstrated by the previous statistics.
The weather at Eden Gardens for the first IPL 2025 match between KKR and RCB appears to be suitable for cricket. Cloudy skies are predicted, with a warm and humid temperature of around 36° C. Unfortunately, rain is expected in the afternoon between 4:00 and 5:00 PM, but this will not affect the game, which begins at 7:30 PM
Average 1st innings score
The average first-inning score at Eden Garden is around 160 based on the overall weather and pitch conditions, as well as previous stats, but in the last five T20s played here, the average first-inning score has increased to 203 from 160, indicating that the pitch has become more flat and thus easier for batters to score runs.
| Average 1st innings score (overall) | 160 |
| Average 1st inning score (in the last 5 T20s) | 203 |
Chasing Record
According to the previous T20 statistics, 93 IPL matches were played on this field. Of those, 55 matches, which is around 59%, were won by the team fielding first, while the team that chose to bat first was able to win 38 encounters. This clearly showed that, once the toss was won, choosing to field first could be a viable option at this venue.
| Total number of matches | 93 |
| Matches won by teams batting first | 38 |
| Matches won by chasing teams | 55 |
Weather Report
The weather at Eden Gardens for the first IPL 2025 match between KKR and RCB appears to be suitable for cricket. Cloudy skies are predicted, with a warm and humid temperature of around 36° C. Unfortunately, rain is expected in the afternoon between 4:00 and 5:00 PM, but this will not affect the game, which begins at 7:30 PM.
| Temperature | 36°C |
| Weather Forecast | Cloudy Sky, warm and humid |
| Pitch Behaviour | 1st inning – Batting Friendly 2nd inning – Spin Friendly |
| Best Suited To | Batters |
| Average 1st innings score | 160 |
KKR vs RCB Match Prediction: Probable Playing XI (Predicted)
KKR Probale Playing 11 vs RCB – IPL 2025, Match 1
Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane ©, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Andrea Russell, Harshith Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje.
RCB Probale Playing 11 vs KKR- IPL 2025, Match 1
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
Form and Fitness
KKR’s recent form (most recent first): W W N/R W W
RCB’s recent form (most recent first): L W W W W
| Team | Matches Won (out of last 5) | Matches lost (out of last 5) |
|---|---|---|
| KKR | 04 | 00 (No Result – 01) |
| RCB | 04 | 01 |
KKR vs RCB recent form (Last 5 Matches)
Kolkata Knight Riders Team
KKR played their last five matches at different venues and were able to win four of them, including the two knockout matches qualifier and the final, and they were victorious in both of these matches as well; however, their one match against RR was washed out by rain and resulted in a no-result. This showed that KKR has put on a strong performance in their previous five matches, indicating that they are in good form, since they have not lost any of their last five matches.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Team
RCB has won four of their last five games. They only lost to RR in the Eliminator match of the IPL 2024, and as a result, they were eliminated from the tournament. However, they have displayed a comprehensive performance in the other four games, as evidenced by their higher winning ratio compared to losing one.
KKR vs RCB Toss Prediction: KKR to win the toss and choose to field first
We expect KKR to win the toss and elect to field first because they are playing at home in front of their fans in the season opener of the IPL 2025, so toss luck may favor KKR’s captain Shreyas Iyer against RCB, and as previous statistics suggest, they may also choose to field first.
KKR vs RCB Score Prediction
| Team | 1st Inning | 2nd Inning |
|---|---|---|
| KKR | 190 | 175 |
| RCB | 180 | 160 |
KKR vs RCB Players To Perform Prediction
KKR:
Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine is the most prolific all-rounder in the KKR squad, opening the innings for his team and making full use of the field restrictions in the first six overs by scoring more than a half runs; he only knows the power game, which can provide KKR with an explosive start to the inning; and with the ball, Narine has always been a fantastic bowler because of his mystery spin, which no batsman can ever solve.
Andre Russell
Andre Russell possesses pure Caribbean power and simply looks to knock the ball out of the park every time; he generates tremendous power by hitting the ball with full force, which can score him and his team many runs in the death overs.
Many bowlers are afraid to bowl in front of Russell because he is one of the most powerful and dangerous batsmen in the IPL, with the ability to score at least 20 to 25 runs in an over, demonstrating how deadly Russell can be in the death overs for the opponents, and he can also bowl important four overs in the middle or in the death overs, making him the most important player for KKR.
Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy has been going from the magnificent form these days, as in the recently completed Champions Trophy 2025, where Indian registered their title run, Varun was one of the key performer for India who displayed his mystery skills of spin, which became mystery itself to all the batsman, and thus he was the second highest wicket taker of the tournament with 9 wickets in just three matches, demonstrating his wicket-taking ability as well as variety of variation. He will be the most significant player for KKR in this year’s IPL since he will play seven matches at Eden Garden, which favors spinners more.
RCB
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the player on whom the entire RCB team has always relied; whether batting, fielding, or as an experienced player, his team looks to Kohli. Because Kohli has been a part of this franchise since the inception of the IPL, he knows everything about his team, and we are all well aware of his batting abilities, which have allowed him to successfully carry his team over the years; he scores runs consistently for his team, and he is the leading run scorer in IPL history, making him the most dependable player for the RCB.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
The good news for RCB is that they acquired Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a like-to-like replacement for their front-line pacer, Mohammad Siraj, this year. Bhuvi has a lot of bowling experience and can be used anywhere, whether it’s in the powerplay, middle overs, or death overs, depending on the needs of the team.
He also won the Purple cap a few times, demonstrating that he is an economical bowler who also takes a lot of wickets. On the pitch, like MA Chinnaswamy, RCB is constantly looking for a bowler who can take wickets while contributing less runs, and since Bhuvi is one of their best bowlers, he will be the most crucial player this season.
Liam Livingstone
Liam Livingstone is one of the most explosive all-rounders and is an excellent replacement for Glenn Maxwell. Livingstone can bat in the death overs and use his strength to score runs at a faster rate, as well as bowling skills, which will be critical for the team because he can provide RCB with that crucial breakthrough with the ball in the middle overs. Livingstone is going to be one of the most important all-rounders for RCB this season because of his ability to spin the ball on all sides and with leg spin.
KKR vs RCB Best Batsmen Prediction
Who will score the most runs for KKR in the match: Sunil Narine & Venkatesh Iyer
Who will score the most runs for RCB in the match: Virat Kohli & Liam Livingstone
KKR vs RCB Best Bowler Prediction
Who will pick the most wickets for KKR in the match: Varun Chakaravarthy & Harshith Rana
Who will pick the most wickets for RCB in the match: Bhuvneshwar Kumar & Yash Dayal
| Team | Most Runs | Most Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| KKR | Sunil Narine & Venkatesh Iyer | Varun Chakaravarthy & Harshith Rana |
| RCB | Virat Kohli & Liam Livingstone | Bhuvneshwar Kumar & Yash Dayal |
Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision