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by Devesh Jaganath | in Indian Premier League Predictions
It’s finally here! The 2025 Indian Premier League kicks off this weekend with the Kolkata Knight Riders taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the iconic Eden Gardens on Saturday. KKR won the competition last year, while RCB were eliminated in the playoffs. Let’s get into the match prediction!
The Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to pick up from where they left off last season when they won 11 games, nine of which came in the group stage before back-to-back victories in the knockouts.
However, KKR have undergone significant changes over the offseason and during the IPL auction, losing last season’s skipper Shreyas Iyer and Aussie quick Mitchell Starc.
In the back office, Gautam Gambhir and his deputy Ryan ten Doeschate also left the franchise to take charge of the national team. Ajinkya Rahane will now lead the team into battle in this opening match.
Meanwhile, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will be hoping to go one better this year after bowing out in the playoffs to the Rajasthan Royals by four wickets last season.
RCB will also have a new leader for this edition, with Rajat Patidar taking the reigns following the departure of South African batsman Faf Du Plessis to the Delhi Capitals during the IPL auction.
These two sides have met a total of 34 times in IPL history and it is KKR with the advantage, having won 20 matches, including the last four, while RCB have come out on top 14 times.
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Kolkata Knight Riders - Royal Challengers Bengaluru Key Points
- Varun Chakravarthy was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2024 Indian Premier League with 21 wickets.
- Varun Chakravarthy took nine wickets in his last three matches for India at the Champions Trophy.
- Varun Chakravarthy 2+ wickets in five of his last six matches for KKR.
- Varun Chakravarthy has taken 83 wickets in 71 matches for KKR in the IPL.
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Our Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Prediction
While the Knight Riders have been the more successful side in this contest in recent times, it remains to be seen how they will perform this year with a few of their key players switching allegiance during the IPL auction.
However, the champs have retained the services of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who has been in exquisite form leading up to this match, playing a key role in India’s Champions Trophy triumph. Therefore, our Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore prediction is Varun Chakravarthy 2+ wickets.
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