The excitement is building for the start of the Indian Premier League 2025, with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders set to host Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of the season on Saturday at Eden Gardens. Both teams are eager to make a dominant statement as they begin their respective campaigns. For the first time, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will commence the IPL season.

For KKR, this season marks a new chapter as they enter the tournament under the leadership of Indian veteran Ajinkya Rahane. The seasoned batsman has taken the reins from the previous captain, Shreyas Iyer, who guided the side to the IPL glory last year. As KKR look to defend their IPL title, Rahane will look to repay the faith. His presence will bring fresh energy to the squad as they aim for another IPL title. With an already formidable squad, KKR’s strong start to the tournament will be key in maintaining their place at the top.

On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are looking to bounce back stronger after a tumultuous IPL 2024 season. While they had a rocky start, RCB showed their true resilience by winning six consecutive matches, securing a spot in the playoffs. However, despite their late surge, they were unable to go all the way, failing to capture their maiden IPL title. This season, they will be hoping for more consistency throughout their campaign. 

A key change in their strategy comes with the appointment of young star Rajat Patidar as the new captain. Patidar will be looking to steer RCB to a more successful season, helping them take the next step after last year's near-miss. Both KKR and RCB have had mesmerising encounters over the many years and this one is expected to be more thrilling. RCB are yet to win an IPL title and the onus of leading the side to victory now falls on the shoulders of all members of the team.

Head to head (IPL)

Matches - 34

KKR Won - 20

RCB Won - 14

Kolkata Knight Riders probable XII: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Spencer Johnson/Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora

Royal Challengers Bengaluru probable XII: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Swapnil Singh