Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be looking to start their campaign in IPL 2025 on a strong note as they will be facing reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The mouthwatering clash is scheduled to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday (March 22).
RCB will be keen to start their campaign strongly and avoid the type of situation they were in last season. They were on the verge of getting knocked out at the league stage in IPL 2024 after losing seven of their first eight matches.
However, they staged a remarkable turnaround and won six games in a row to make it to the playoffs. Their dream run finally came to an end with a defeat against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator.
For IPL 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have named Rajat Patidar as their new captain after releasing Faf du Plessis. They will be hoping that their new captain finally leads them to glory.
So as RCB gear up for the tournament opener, we are taking a look at the RCB Playing 11 for their game against KKR.
RCB Playing 11 vs KKR- IPL 2025, Match 1:
Openers: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wk)
With Faf du Plessis no more a part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp, the franchise is set to have a new opening combination for IPL 2025. Phil Salt is likely to replace du Plessis in the RCB Playing 11 this season. Salt plied his trade for KKR last season and played a key role in the team’s triumphant campaign.
He has good knowledge of the conditions at the Eden Gardens and will be looking to make the most of it. The right-handed batsman had scored 435 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of over 180 last season.
Partnering with Salt at the top of the order is none other than batting superstar Virat Kohli. With Royal Challengers Bengaluru desperate to win their first-ever IPL trophy, the onus will be on the senior batsman to deliver with the bat once again. Kohli had a standout season with the bat last year where he finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer.
In a season where no other batsman could even reach the 600-run mark, Kohli had scored 741 runs at a strike rate of over 150. He will be looking to enjoy yet another prolific season with the bat for the Bengaluru-based franchise.
Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Rajat Patidar (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya
RCB have formed a formidable middle-order for IPL 2025 and they will be hoping that the players live up to the expectations. The onus will be on the newly-appointed captain Rajat Patidar to lead the team from the front.
Patidar impressed one and all with his batting especially against spinners last year and will look to deliver once again.
He had scored 395 runs last season at a strike rate of almost 180. Royal Challengers Bengaluru has also re-signed Devdutt Padikkal and will be hoping that the local boy rediscovers his mojo and enjoy a good season with the bat. He played for RCB in 2020 and 2021 and scored more than 400 runs in both seasons.
The all-rounders and the finishers in the RCB Playing 11 are expected to be Liam Livingstone, Tim David, and Krunal Pandya. All three players can change the course of the game and they will be keen to start their journey with RCB on a good note.
Livingstone has played 39 IPL games so far and has scored 939 runs at a strike rate of 160, including six half-centuries. He has taken 11 wickets as well with his part-time bowling.
David, on the other hand, could blow just any team away on his day. He played for Mumbai Indians last season. Krunal can deliver match-winning performances with both bat and ball. An experienced allrounder, Krunal has played 127 IPL matches so far, scoring 1647 runs in addition to taking 76 wickets.
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
The bowling lineup has always been the weak link for Royal Challengers Bengaluru but the franchise has managed to form a strong lineup for this season. They have added several proven campaigners to their squad and will be hoping that the players live up to the expectations.
Experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is set to lead the pace attack with Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal as the other fast bowlers. On the other hand, Suyash Sharma is expected to be the sole frontline spinner in the RCB Playing 11 with the likes of Livingstone and Krunal being the other spin bowling options.
