Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Match Scorecard, Timeline, and Stats – IPL 2025, Match No-1
Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bengaluru is one of the most underrated rivalries in the IPL, being overshadowed by the other major rivalries. These two are among the most popular and fan-favourite teams, with both franchises receiving an immense amount of love and support from their fans. Over the years, the contests between KKR and RCB have provided many unforgettable moments in the cricketing world that these fans will never forget.
KKR VS RCB Live Commentary:
Kolkata Knight Riders Innings
6.2: Suyash Sharma to Rahane, FOUR, square of the wicket, Salt tried hard but couldn’t able to stop.
Timeout! RCB took the timeout to slow down the pace of the match.
5.5: Yash Dayal to Rahane, FOUR, full-toss converted into a boundary.
50-run Partnership between Rahane and Narine.
5.4: Yash Dayal to Rahane, SIX, into the stands.
5.3: Yash Dayal to Rahane, FOUR
5.1: Yash Dayal to Narine, FOUR,
4.5: Krunal Pandya to Rahane, FOUR, down the leg, Rahane sweeps it for a boundary.
4.1: Krunal Pandya to Narine, SIX
3.5: Rasikh Salam to Rahane, SIX, Into the stands one more time.
3.3: Rasikh Salam to Rahane, SIX, Rahane looking in great touch.
3.2: Rasikh Salam to Rahane, FOUR, Rahane swings hard and gets good contact to get it racing to the fine leg fence.
2.4: Hazlewood to Narine, FOUR, one bounce and into the fence.
Ajinkya Rahane, right-handed batter, comes to bat at no. 3
0.4: Hazlewood to de Kock, out Caught by wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma!! Quinton de Kock is gone.
0.3: Hazlewood to de Kock, no run, Suyash Sharma drops a very easy catch.
0.2: Hazlewood to de Kock, FOUR, first boundary of IPL 2025.
de Kock and Narine are at the crease. de Kock is on strike. Hazlewood will open the attack
Match Prediction: RCB will bat 2nd and their chances of winning this match are very high as there might be some due in the second inning and the batting lineup of RCB is very strong.
Toss Update | 7:00 PM: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Captain Rajat Patidar calls heads and it’s a head. RCB will bat first.
Kolkata Knight Riders Team
KKR is one of the most successful franchises, after MI and CSK, having won three IPL titles in 2012, 2014, and 2024. Gautam Gambhir led them to two titles, and Shreyas Iyer guided them to their third title last year. Over the years, KKR has demonstrated exceptional performance as a unit, resulting in huge accomplishments in the world’s most competitive cricket league.
They have consistently produced some of the best cricketers, including young talented cricketers such as Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, and other Indian cricketers who have later contributed to the Indian cricket team.
That’s why this franchise legacy is incomparable to any other franchise because this team and their fans have their unique identity, like their chant of ‘Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo re’ which is very famous all around the cricketing world. Also, the determination and support that their fans show for this team is incredible, which makes this franchise very unique.
This year, KKR gives the responsibility of winning another title for their fans to their new veteran player Ajinkya Rahane, who will take the leadership charge of the team starting with this new edition, and fans can expect some magnificent performances from him with the bat as well as in his captaincy role.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Team
On the other hand, RCB is the most popular franchise in the IPL; despite the fact that it has yet to win an IPL title, fans love this team. Without any expectations or return, RCB’s fans have always stood by them and encouraged them to make a better comeback than before. Every year, this franchise missed out on winning the IPL, but their fans never lost faith in the team or their players, which is why this is the most respected team in the IPL, their fans are on top of that, making this franchise even more special.
This franchise produced star players such as Virat Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj, and others; also this team adopted foreign players such as AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, and Glenn Maxwell as their own national players, and they always supported them regardless of the outcome; this is why RCB is the most popular cricketing franchise in the world.
Even though they haven’t won a trophy in the past 17 years, RCB has given their supporters a number of unforgettable moments that define the dedication and hard work that each player puts into helping this team do well. Each year, they begin the new season with the hopeful chant, “E sala Cup Namde,” hoping that they will bring home the trophy.
This year, they will undoubtedly begin the 18th season of the IPL with the exact same energy and intensity, and Rajat Patidar will have the chance to prove himself as the team’s captain and repay their supporters by winning their first IPL trophy.
Also Read: KKR vs RCB Match Prediction: Who will win the Indian Premier League 2025 Match 1?
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Timeline: Memorable Moments in KKR vs RCB Rivalry
If we look at the rivalry between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it began with the inception of the IPL in 2008, when these two teams met in the first-ever match of the IPL, where Brendon McCullum played an incredible knock of unbeaten 158 runs, helping his team to a convincing victory over RCB in their first ever match.
After that, excluding group stage matches, these two teams met only once in the playoffs of the IPL 2021, with KKR winning a thrilling Eliminator by four wickets and sparing only two balls. After that, they never met again in the knockout round, but they made many memories playing against each other with their best players such as Kohli, Gambhir, Gayle, Narine, and others.
At one point during the IPL 2015, Kohli and Gambhir got into a verbal fight that evolved into an actual conflict, generating a lot of buzz among supporters of both sides, so this rivalry between KKR and RCB is very underappreciated but very essential for the environment of the IPL.
Key Milestones in KKR vs RCB Rivalry
1. IPL 2008, Match Number -1
In the first IPL 2008 match since its inception, KKR played against RCB in Bengaluru. Brendon McCullum displayed his carnage, scoring an unbeaten 158 runs, which helped KKR reach a huge 222-run total in 20 overs. In response, RCB only managed to score 82 runs and lost by a huge 140-run margin.
2. IPL 2021, Eliminator
In the thrilling Eliminator match between KKR and RCB during the IPL 2021 knockout stage, KKR once again displayed their determination and perseverance by defeating RCB by 4 wickets in the final over with only two balls left, eliminating the RCB from the tournament as well.
3. IPL 2024, Match Number – 36
In the 36th match of the IPL 2024, both teams were on fire, with a total of around 450 runs scored in that match, accumulating both team’s total. KKR once again dominated RCB, scoring 222 in the first inning and setting RCB a huge target of 223 runs. Although RCB fought hard until the last ball, KKR somehow managed to win this game as well, with a close win of just one run over RCB.
Statistical Overview
T20s
- Total T20s Played: 35
- KKR’s Win Percentage: 60% (21 wins)
- RCB’s Win Percentage: 40% (14 Wins)
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Match Scorecards
Here are some notable encounters from the Kolkata Knight Riders Cricket Team vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Cricket Team.
1. IPL 2008, Match Number – 1
Venue: Bengaluru
Date: April 18, 2025
Result: KKR won by 140 runs.
KKR’s Score: 222/3 (20 Overs)
Top Performer (KKR): Brendon McCullum (158* runs off 73 balls)
RCB’s Score: 82 (15.1 Overs)
Top Performer (RCB): Zaheer Khan (1 wicket)
2. IPL 2021, Eliminator
Venue: Sharjah
Date: October 11, 2021
Result: KKR won by 4 wickets
KKR’s Score: 139/6 (19.4 Overs)
Top Performer (KKR): Sunil Narine (26 runs off 15 balls & 4/21)
RCB’s Score: 138/7 (20 Overs)
Top Performer (RCB): Virat Kohli (39 runs off 33 balls)
3. IPL 2024, Match Number – 36
Venue: Kolkata
Date: April 21, 2024
Result: KKR won by 1 run
KKR’s Score: 222/6 (20 Overs)
Top Performer (KKR): Andre Russell (3/25 & 27* off 20 balls)
RCB’s Score: 221/10 (20 Overs)
Top Performer (RCB): Will Jacks (55 runs off 32 balls)
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Match Squad
Kolkata Knight Riders Full Squad
Ajinkya Rahane ©, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Luvnith Sisodia (wk), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Anrich Nortje, Harshit Rana, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Royal Challengers Riders Full Squad
Rajat Patidar ©, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara, Tim David, Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Manoj Bhandage, Mohit Rathee, Romario Shephard, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Phil Salt (wk), Abhinandan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Dream11 Team
Kolkata Knight Riders Playing 11
Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane ©, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Andrea Russell, Harshith Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Playing 11
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
Key Players in KKR vs RCB Encounters
| KKR’s Key Players | RCB’s Key Players |
|---|---|
| Gautam Gambhir | Virat Kohli |
| Jacques Kallis | Chris Gayle |
| Sunil Narine | AB de Villiers |
| Andre Russell | Yuzvendra Chahal |
| Manish Pandey | Mohammad Siraj |
| Sourav Ganguly | Faf Du Plessis |
Conclusion
The rivalry between KKR and RCB has been ongoing for many years. KKR has clearly dominated this rivalry in head-to-head records, crucial matches, and IPL titles. Although RCB put up a fierce fight against this team, it was insufficient to demonstrate their superiority. Therefore, in this IPL season, RCB must put on a strong show, to take exact revenge from KKR for their past defeats, and make a comeback in this underrated rivalry.