KKR vs RCB LIVE Scorecard, IPL 2025 LIVE Updates: Massive Blunder By RCB, Ex-KKR Star Drops Complete Sitter | Cricket News

KKR vs RCB LIVE: IPL 2025 IS UNDERWAY

ICC President Jay Shah and Kolkata’s favourite son Sourav Ganguly ring the iconic Eden Gardens bell. IPL 2025 is underway!  Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock out to open the batting for KKR. Josh Hazlewood, fit again, will take the new ball for RCB.

KKR vs RCB LIVE: RCB Playing XI

RCB’s Playing XI vs KKR:

Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wk), Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.

No Bhuvneshwar Kumar! Huge miss for RCB. He was bought for a big fee, remember.

KKR vs RCB, IPL 2025 LIVE: KKR Playing XI

KKR’s Playing XI vs RCB:

Quinton de Kock (wK), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.

KKR going with Raghuvanshi in their playing XI. Expect either Anukul Roy or Vaibhav Arora to come in as an impact sub later on.

IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: Will two new balls play into KKR’s favour?

Remember, this season, teams can have two new balls (second one introduced after the 10th over) depending on the umpire’s discretion. It is a rule that has been brought in to negate the effect of the dew. With the likes of Spencer Johnson in KKR’s XI, could this play into their advantage in the second innings?

KKR vs RCB, IPL 2025 LIVE: RCB WIN TOSS!

Rajat Patidar has won the toss in his first game as RCB captain! Patidar chooses to bowl, so defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be batting first! Rahane also admits that he would’ve chosen to bowl had KKR won the toss.

IPL 2025 LIVE: Spencer Johnson to debut for KKR!

Looks like we have an answer to Kolkata Knight Riders’ overseas pacer dilemma. Spencer Johnson has been handed his first KKR cap by Sunil Narine, so he must have got the nod over Anrich Nortje for the first game.

And it’s TOSS TIME!

KKR vs RCB LIVE: Gearing up for toss!

We should be moments away from toss time. If you’re just tuning in, a mega IPL 2025 opening ceremony took place, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Virat Kohli. Kohli was also felicitated on the eve of the first game, while blockbuster performances by the likes of Shreya Ghoshal and Disha Patani wow-ed the Eden Gardens crowd.

The toss has been delayed, as a result.

IPL 2025 LIVE: Will the start of the match be delayed?

The bombastic opening ceremony has caused the toss to be delayed by around 10 minutes here. Will the match start exactly at 7:30 PM local time, or will the start also be delayed? The teams are out on the practice pitches as well. Kohli is getting some batting done.

KKR vs RCB LIVE: IPL 18 cake ceremony!

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) turns 18 years old, a big cake is cut in celebration by the two captains, the performers and the dignitories on stage. Shah Rukh Khan is still the emcee, by the way! 

And now it’s time for the Indian national anthem.

KKR vs RCB LIVE, IPL 2025: Captains on the pitch

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane and RCB captain Rajat Patidar enter the pitch. Rahane brings the IPL trophy and places it in the centre as well. We are past scheduled toss time, but could we see some special arrangement here?

IPL 2025 LIVE: Virat Kohli felicitated

And now RCB stalwart Virat Kohli is being felicitated. The only man to have played all 18 seasons for the same franchise, Kohli is undeniably an IPL legend. Shah Rukh announces the honour for the iconic No. 18. Huge roars from the Eden crowd.

KKR vs RCB LIVE, IPL 2025: Dance moves from Virat!

Virat Kohli, Rinku Singh and Shah Rukh Khan perform some dance moves on stage. And now, SRK is inviting BCCI dignitories and the performers today on stage. We are already well past 6:55 PM local time. As a result, toss looks set to be delayed!

KKR vs RCB LIVE: Enter Rinku Singh on stage!

After Virat Kohli, Shah Rukh Khan has called KKR star Rinku Singh has been invited on stage! Rinku was retained by KKR for Rs 13 crore ahead of the mega auction, their highest retention. A conversation between players belonging to two generations, but lighting up cricket together!

IPL 2025 LIVE: SRK X Virat Kohli!

And now to finalize the IPL 2025 opening ceremony, Shah Rukh Khan has called RCB superstar Virat Kohli on stage. Kohli is the only player to have played for one franchise only for all 18 years. SRK kickstarts some ‘Kohli, Kohli’ chants from the Eden crowd!

IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: 20 minutes to toss!

Amidst the hype of the opening ceremony, don’t forget about the big game! KKR vs RCB toss time in 20 minutes! Two new captains – Ajinkya Rahane for KKR and Rajat Patidar for RCB – leading two new eras for the franchises. 

KKR vs RCB LIVE: Karan Aujla now in action

After Disha Patani’s performance, rapper and singer Karan Aujla is now lighting up the Eden Gardens crowd and the IPL 2025 opening ceremony. Popular song ‘Tauba Tauba’ is one of the hits at the stadium today. 

IPL 2025 LIVE: Disha Patani takes centre stage

After an amazing performance by Shreya Ghoshal, where she performed songs like ‘Om Shanti Om’, now popular Bollywood actor Disha Patani is now gracing the IPL 2025 opening ceremony. The Eden Gardens is on its feet.

KKR vs RCB LIVE: Expected playing XI

With fresh new rosters for each team in IPL 2025 for both KKR and RCB, let’s take a look at their probable starting lineups:

KKR Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora.

RCB Probable XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.

KKR vs RCB LIVE: Form on KKR’s side

Kolkata Knight Riders have won each of the last four games between these two teams, completing the season whitewash in both IPL 2023 and IPL 2024. The last time RCB beat KKR was in 2022, when games were still being played in Navi Mumbai due to Covid-19.

IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: KKR eye huge record vs RCB

KKR vs RCB head-to-head record:

Matches played: 34

KKR won: 20

RCB won: 10

If KKR win today, they will equal CSK on the most number of wins against RCB in IPL history, with 21 each.

KKR vs RCB LIVE: Shreya Ghoshal to perform first

Renowned singer, arguably the most recognized female voice in contemporary Indian music, Shreya Ghoshal, kickstarts the IPL 2025 opening ceremony with some songs. The atmosphere at the Eden Gardens is electric, as the crowd melts to her tune.

KKR vs RCB LIVE: Opening ceremony starts!

The opening ceremony of IPL 2025 is underway! And getting us off with a bang, none other than Shah Rukh Khan, KKR’s owner. He introduces the ceremony with a booming speech, and the crowd at Eden Gardens is going absolutely wild!

IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: Leadership change in KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders lost a few of their key stars from the IPL 2024 title-winning campaign, with the biggest one being Shreyas Iyer, who was bought by Punjab Kings. Now, they have Ajinkya Rahane at the helm, with Rs 23.75 crore-man Venkatesh Iyer. A lot of expectations around him too, especially given the pricetag.

KKR vs RCB LIVE, IPL 2025: Eyes on Virat Kohli

Undoubtedly the most popular man on the pitch today will be Virat Kohli. RCB’s iconic No. 18 is entering his 18th IPL season? Will this finally be the lucky year for them? Kohli won the Orange Cap last year, and will look forward to a big performance to kickstart the season.

IPL 2025 LIVE, KKR vs RCB: So far, so good!

As emphasized earlier, the weather gods have so far been kind. No rain whatsoever in Kolkata as IPL 2025 gears up. Remember, not only do we have a lot of cricket action to look forward to, but also some huge stars are in show in the opening ceremony before that. Shah Rukh Khan, Disha Patani and Shreya Ghoshal are among the people confirmed!

IPL 2025 LIVE: What is an Orange Alert?

Security authorities have announced an ‘Orange Alert’ in Kolkata ahead of the KKR-RCB match. But what is it?

An orange alert is issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) when significant/heavy rainfall is anticipated, with the potential to disrupt power supply and transportation services. Hence, big rain predicted today during the match.

IPL 2025 LIVE: Two new captains!

It is also the dawn of a new era for both franchises in action today! KKR let go of Shreyas Iyer despite winning the title, and will be led by Ajinkya Rahane this season. On the other hand, Rajat Patidar has taken over RCB’s captaincy, amid huge support from Virat Kohli.

KKR vs RCB LIVE: But there is hope!

The weather in Kolkata, so far, has been exceptional. Still no hint of rain. In fact, not too long ago, there was a lot of sunshine over Eden Gardens. The stadium is also renowned for its exceptional drainage system, so even if rain does hit, fans can still be hopeful of a full game.

IPL 2025 LIVE: Eye on the weather

We saw a purple wave take the IPL by storm in 2024, as KKR completed one of the most dominant seasons in history, winning 12 games en route to the title. This time, we may have a different storm to worry about, with the weather forecast in Kolkata not proving to be too encouraging.

KKR vs RCB LIVE: Hello and welcome!

Hello and welcome to NDTV Sports! It is time for the festival to start all over again, it is time to set your alarms at 7:30 PM, it is time to enjoy the most blockbuster cricket event in the world. It is time for IPL 2025!

Welcome to the LIVE coverage of the IPL 2025 opening game, as defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru!