Kolkata Knight Riders failed to put up an imposing total and Royal Challengers Bengaluru batters Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar made light work of the chase in the end

Magnificent fifties by star batter Virat Kohli and new signing Phil Salt guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a comfortable seven-wicket win over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening match of the IPL 2025 on Saturday at the Eden Gardens.

Liam Livingstone sealed RCB’s dominant 7-wicket win with a six and a four as they chased 175 in 16.2 overs. Virat Kohli anchored with a fifty, while Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar’s quickfire knocks powered the victory.