‌KKR vs RCB | Twitter reacts to Krunal’s three-fer and bitter taste of ‘Salt’ dent defending champions on curtain-raiser

Arijit Kundu

ByArijit Kundu,SportsCafe Editor

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru kicked off their 2025 Indian Premier League on a high after decimating hosts Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets. Krunal Pandya’s three-fer and Josh Hazlewood’s discipline was backed by superlative batting, highlighted by Phil Salt and Virat Kohli’s fifties.

Eyeing to kick off the tournament with authority against the defending champions, Rajat Patidar’s decision to field first on a pitch that was covered the majority of the pre-match day seemed to pay off early. Following Quinton de Kock’s wicket in the opening over, Sunil Narine followed Ajinkya Rahane late in the powerplay as the counter-attack propelled them to 60/1 in six overs. The pair orchestrated 47 runs in the next four overs with the pair losing their wickets around the midway mark. As the momentum shifted towards the visitors, Krunal Pandya’s three-fer and varying pace from the RCB pacers made further inroads in the KKR setup. By the 16th over, the scorecard reflected 151/6 with Ramandeep Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi at either end. But this wasn’t the worst as the run rate further deteriorated with KKR managing to fetch just 23 runs in the end with the score 173/8. 

Unlike their counterparts, the Bengaluru side got off to a blistering start, initiated by Phil Salt’s carnage inside the powerplay. Even India’s successful spinner in the Champions Trophy 2025 got bashed for 21 runs as RCB stomped to an 80-run powerplay. Despite the wicketkeeper-batter scoring a blitz 56, the visitors reached 104/1 in ten overs, setting the stage for an emphatic victory. Although Sunil Narine outsmarted Devdutt Padikkal in the twelfth over, KKR’s hopes to rise from the shrink seemed doused by Rajat Patidar’s 16-ball 34 under the presence of Kohli’s calmness. Subsequently, a consolation wicket of the RCB captain curtailed the equation to eight off the last four overs before a couple of blows sealed the chase with seven wickets in hand.

Super commanding performance

What a start

Congratulations

Trashed

Big won

Yess

Dance

Chased 

Batting powerhouse

Owned

 

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