PL 2025 Opener: KKR vs RCB – Bengaluru wins toss, opts to bowl first

The much-anticipated 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 kicked off in grand style at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the season opener.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 🎶

Shreya Ghoshal’s mesmerizing voice lights up the #TATAIPL 2025 opening ceremony! ⭐#KKRvRCB | @shreyaghoshal pic.twitter.com/cDM8OpOIP3

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025

Toss & Match Update

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to bowl first, putting Ajinkya Rahane’s KKR in to bat. Fans can expect a thrilling contest as both teams fielded strong XIs for this blockbuster start to the tournament.

Playing XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):

Quinton de Kock (wk)

Venkatesh Iyer

Ajinkya Rahane (c)

Rinku Singh

Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Sunil Narine

Andre Russell

Ramandeep Singh

Spencer Johnson

Harshit Rana

Varun Chakaravarthy

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB):

Virat Kohli

Philip Salt (wk)

Rajat Patidar (c)

Liam Livingstone

Jitesh Sharma

Tim David

Krunal Pandya

Rasikh Dar Salam

Suyash Sharma

Josh Hazlewood

Yash Dayal

Opening Ceremony Highlights

Before the on-field action, IPL 2025 was ushered in with a dazzling opening ceremony featuring Bollywood stars and music sensations.

Shreya Ghoshal mesmerized the crowd with her soulful songs, ending with a powerful rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’.

Disha Patani took center stage with an energetic performance, setting the tone for the evening.

Punjabi sensation Karan Aujla then brought the stadium alive with his beats.

The excitement peaked when Shah Rukh Khan made a grand appearance, interacting with KKR’s Rinku Singh and RCB’s Virat Kohli. Fans were treated to a fun moment when SRK, Rinku, and Virat danced to Bollywood hits, including ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ and ‘Lut Put Gaya’.

What’s Next?

With the opening ceremony wrapped up, all eyes are now on the much-awaited KKR vs RCB showdown as Kolkata looks to begin their title defense on a strong note while Bengaluru aims for a winning start. Stay tuned for live match updates!