The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane was not a happy camper after his team lost the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 opening match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

At their home venue – the Eden Gardens in Kolkata – the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane, were at the receiving end of a 7-wicket loss on Saturday, March 22.

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Ajinkya Rahane shines, but KKR fails vs RCB

Kolkata Knight Riders were invited to bat first in the match, and they were off to a poor start as they lost Quinton de Kock in the first over.

After that, Rahane and Sunil Narine stabilized the innings, with the KKR skipper playing a sensational knock of 56 runs off 31 balls. However, after the dismissal of the duo, the Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a batting collapse and were restricted to 174 for 8.

Defending the total, Kolkata Knight Riders never looked in the game as Phil Salt and Virat Kohli decimated their bowling unit. Although Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Vaibhav Arora picked up a wicket each, RCB completed the run-chase in 16.2 overs.

We were looking for 200+ – Ajinkya Rahane

Speaking after the match, the KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane said that they were looking to post a total of over 200, and when he was batting in the middle with Venkatesh Iyer, they had a discussion about the same. He said:

“I thought we were going well till the 13th over but 2-3 wickets changed the momentum. Batters that followed tried their best but didn’t work out. When myself and Venky were batting we were discussing that 200-210 was achievable but those wickets changed the momentum.”

Ajinkya Rahane added that dew was around in the second innings, but credited the way the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batters played before blaming the KKR batters for the loss in the match.

“Little bit of dew was there but they had a very good powerplay with the bat. It (total) was under par. We were looking for 200+. We don’t want to think too much about this game but at the same time just try and get better in certain areas,” Ajinkya Rahane said.

How Did KKR Perform in Their Previous IPL Match Against RCB?

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) put up a great display with both bat and ball in their last match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to secure a thrilling one-run victory at Eden Gardens on April 21, 2024.

Batting first, KKR’s innings got off to a stellar start, thanks to Phil Salt’s explosive 48 runs off 14 balls. His explosive innings put RCB’s bowlers on the back foot early. Though wickets fell at regular intervals, Shreyas Iyer (50 off 36) ensured stability in the middle overs.

Rinku Singh (24 off 16), Andre Russell (27* off 20), and Ramandeep Singh (24* off 9) provided the finishing touches, pushing KKR’s total to a good total of 222/6.

Defending the total, KKR’s bowlers held their nerve in a high-pressure game. Harshit Rana (2/33) struck early, removing Virat Kohli. Sunil Narine (2/34) dismissed Cameron Green and Mahipal Lomror in quick succession, while Varun Chakravarthy chipped in with the key wicket of Faf du Plessis.

Meanwhile, it was Andre Russell’s three-wicket haul (3/25) that turned the game in KKR’s favor. He dismissed Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, and Dinesh Karthik to ensure that RCB fell just short, getting bowled out for 221 on the last ball.