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The 2025 IPL will kick off with Kolkata Knight Riders facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens. KKR has a strong record in openers, winning 6 out of 7, while RCB has won only 1 out of 5.
Ajinkya Rahane will lead the Kolkata Knight Riders while Rajat Patidar will lead the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for IPL 2025 respectively. (Image: Sportzpics)
The 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to begin with yet another cracking fixture where the Kolkata Knight Riders take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
This fixture is a major throwback to the inception of the tournament itself when both sides played the first-ever game in the inaugural edition and saw Brendon McCullum smashing a blistering 158 off 73 balls at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to light the spark for what would be the biggest thing in cricket since the introduction of the T20 format.
Both teams have played in the first games in the previous seasons but holds rather contrasting records. The odds will certainly be in the favour of the defending champions to come out victorious but the tournament has shown that no team is as far off as they think they are and can bounce back to snatch the win.
Let us take a look at both KKR and RCB’s records in the IPL Tournament Openers
KKR’s Record In IPL Tournament Openers
(Played: 7, Won: 6, Lost: 1)
- 2022: CSK vs KKR In Mumbai – KKR Won By 6 Wickets
- 2015: KKR vs MI In Eden Gardens – KKR Won By 7 Wickets
- 2014: KKR vs MI In Abu Dhabi – KKR Won By 41 Runs
- 2013: KKR vs DC In Kolkata – KKR Won By 6 Wickets
- 2011: CSK vs KKR In Chennai – CSK Won By 2 Runs
- 2010: KKR vs DC In Mumbai – KKR Won By 11 Runs
- 2008: RCB vs KKR In Bengaluru – KKR Won By 140 Runs
The Knight Riders have been a fairly prominent feature in the season-openers. In fact, from the 17 editions completed so far, they have been a part of seven games to open the respective seasons. They also hold a dominant record having won six and losing out only once. Their only defeat came in the 2011 edition against the Chennai Super Kings in a closely fought contest at the Chepauk Stadium.
RCB’s Record In Tournament Openers
(Played: 5, Won: 1, Lost: 4)
- 2024: CSK vs RCB In Chennai – CSK Won By 6 Wickets
- 2021: MI vs RCB In Chennai – RCB Won By 2 Wickets
- 2019: CSK vs RCB In Chennai – CSK Won By 7 Wickets
- 2017: SRH vs RCB In Hyderabad – SRH Won By 35 Runs
- 2008: RCB vs KKR In Bengaluru – KKR Won By 140 Runs
The Royal Challengers have been a part of five games in the season-opener but they hold a disappointing record, losing on four occasions. Their only win was in the 2021 edition when they beat Mumbai Indians by 2 wickets thanks to a five-wicket haul by Harshal Patel. They will now look to beat the odds and come out on top to start their campaign on a positive note.
