KKR vs RCB: Predicted Playing XI for Match 1 of IPL 2025

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 11:26:21 GMT

The IPL 2025 tournament commences with an intriguing battle between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the legendary Eden Gardens. Being the defending champions, KKR will seek a strong start with the guidance of experienced Ajinkya Rahane, whereas RCB embarks on a new journey with youthful captain Rajat Patidar.

Match Details

Category	Information
Match	KKR vs RCB
Date	March 22, 2025
Time	7:30 PM IST
Venue	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Live Telecast	Star Sports
Live Streaming	JioHotstar

Kolkata Knight Riders - Predicted Playing XI

Player Name	Role
Quinton de Kock	Wicketkeeper, Opener
Sunil Narine	All-rounder
Ajinkya Rahane	Captain, Batter
Venkatesh Iyer	All-rounder
Rinku Singh	Batter
Andre Russell	All-rounder
Ramandeep Singh	Batter
Harshit Rana	Fast Bowler
Anrich Nortje	Fast Bowler
Vaibhav Arora	Fast Bowler
Varun Chakravarthy	Spinner

Impact Players:

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Chetan Sakariya, Mayank Markande, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia

Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Predicted Playing XI

Player Name	Role
Virat Kohli	Batter
Phil Salt	Wicketkeeper, Opener
Rajat Patidar	Captain, Batter
Liam Livingstone	Batter, All-rounder
Tim David	Batter, Finisher
Jitesh Sharma	Wicketkeeper, Batter
Krunal Pandya	All-rounder
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	Fast Bowler
Josh Hazlewood	Fast Bowler
Yash Dayal	Fast Bowler
Suyash Sharma	Spinner

Impact Players:

Devdutt Padikkal, Romario Shepherd, Lungi Ngidi, Swastik Chhikara, Mohit Rathee

ALSO SEE: KKR vs RCB Today Match Prediction – Who Will Win? | Match 1, IPL 2025 Preview & Analysis

Key Players to Watch

Team	Key Players
KKR	Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer
RCB	Virat Kohli, Liam Livingstone, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David

Key Battles to Watch Out For

Match-Up	Why It Matters
Virat Kohli vs Varun Chakravarthy	Kohli’s struggle against spin makes this one to watch
Russell vs Hazlewood	Raw power meets precision bowling
Venkatesh Iyer vs Bhuvneshwar	Swing bowling against aggressive top-order batting
Livingstone vs Narine	A tactical face-off between spin and explosive intent

Squads:

KKR squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Venkatesh Iyer (vice-captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rovman Powell (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Luvnith Sisodia (wk), Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Mayank Markande, Anrich Nortje, Umran Malik, Varun Chakravarthy.

RCB squad: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.

ALSO SEE: KKR vs RCB Today Match Prediction – Who Will Win? | Match 1, IPL 2025 Preview & Analysis

Match Preview Summary

With a full Eden Gardens house behind them, KKR enjoys the home ground and the experience of the likes of Rahane, Russell, and Narine. But RCB's opening order, driven by Virat Kohli and Phil Salt, cannot be underestimated.

Rajat Patidar has huge boots to fill when he leads RCB for the first time, whereas KKR's better-balanced and settled line-up provides a margin of superiority for them entering the opener.

The game is not just an opening game for the season – it determines the tempo for the entire league. Be prepared for drama, heat, and quality cricket as two favorite teams of the crowd face off in the first encounter of IPL 2025.