RCB, SRH Make Flying Starts in Opening Week of the 2025 IPL
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
Royal Challengers Stun Defending Champs in Tournament opener
The Kolkata Knight Riders made what looked like the perfect start to their title defence in front of a packed house at Eden Gardens on Saturday, racing to 107/1 inside the first 10 overs of the match despite losing the early wicket of South African opener Quinton de Kock.
However, all that changed after the introduction of Krunal Pandya, who broke the second-wicket stand by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane for 56 runs, before sending Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh back to the pavilion for a combined 18 runs.
Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal also produced economical spells of 2/22 and 1/25, as RCB contained their opponents to 174/8 - a middling score that was still defendable for KKR, who were the pre-match favourites with most of the best online betting sites.
However, RCB got their innings started incredibly, with the ultra-consistent Phil Salt and Indian superstar batsman Virat Kohli producing a brisk opening stand of 95/1 before the Englishman was dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy for 56 off 31 balls in the ninth over.
While Devdutt Padikkal fell for just 10 runs at number three, Kohli’s calm presence at the crease was enough to see his side over the line. The IPL's all-time top scorer finished on 59* in 36 balls, while Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone also chipped in with 34 and 15* respectively.
The Royal Challengers chased down the target set with seven wickets and 22 balls to spare, giving them a very healthy net run rate of +2.137, announcing themselves as genuine contenders for the title this season - something the franchise has never been able to do in the past.
Next up, RCB will take on CSK in Chennai on Friday, and you can check out our cricket predictions in the lead-up to the toss.
Sunrisers Come Out on Top in Run-Fest Against Rajasthan
Twenty-four hours after RCB claimed their first win of the competition, the Sunrisers Hyderabad did likewise in a match that saw a total of 528 runs scored. SRH posted a target of 286/6 in their 20 overs, which was just one run shy of the highest total in the IPL which they set last season.
The men from Hyderabad have now scored four 250+ totals in the IPL - all of which have come since the start of last year’s tournament. The team have now posted four of the top five IPL totals since the tournament began in 2008.
Ishan Kishan produced a Player of the Match performance for his side, smashing a sensational century - his first in the IPL - in just 47 balls, including 11 fours and six maximums. Aussie opener Phil Salt also played a key role in the victory, scoring 67 runs in 31 balls at the top of the innings.
Notably, Jofra Archer ensured a brutal return to the IPL. His first two balls were both dispatched to the boundary, and it was all downhill from then on, as the England paceman ended with figures of 76/0 in his four-over allotment - the worst bowling figures in IPL history.
The Rajasthan Royals suffered a couple of early blows with Yashasvi Jaswal and Sanju Samson both falling to Simarjeet Singh, but Sanju Samson and Dhruv Patel kept them in the contest with 66 off 37 and 70 off 35 respectively.
However, Pat Cummins’ side managed to strangle the visitors late on and secured a 44-run victory, giving them the early lead in the table with a very impressive net run rate of +2.200. The victory has seen SRH shorten in the IPL betting odds, now favourites to win the title.
First-round action continues today, so be sure to make use of our DC vs. LSG prediction before IPL's next game GT vs. PBKS that will take place tomorrow afternoon.
