KKR vs RCB, IPL 2025: Toss result and playing 11s for today’s match, umpires list and pitch report
IPL 2025 kicks off with a much-hyped opening clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. KKR won the T20 league for the third time by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final. On the other hand, RCB overcame a horror start to reach the playoffs but lost the Eliminator to Rajasthan Royals (RR).
KKR will be captained by Ajinkya Rahane this season as the franchise did not retain Shreyas Iyer even though he led the team to victory last season. The franchise purchased Venkatesh Iyer for a massive ₹23.75 crore at the mega auction. Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Varun Chakaravarthy have been retained and big things will be expected from them.
Just like KKR, Bengaluru will also be led by a new captain in Rajat Patidar. RCB did not retain 40-year-old Faf du Plessis and, with Virat Kohli not taking up the role, the huge responsibility has fallen on Patidar's shoulders. He will lean on Kohli for support for sure. Kohli and Patidar apart, Bengaluru will depend on the likes of Phil Salt, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood.
Today's KKR vs RCB toss result
RCB have won the toss and decided to bowl first. Rajat Patidar said:
“The wicket looks decent. It’s a hard surface. We’ll try to stop them [to a low score].”
Both KKR and RCB are going in with three pacers and two spinners. Spencer Johnson got his Kolkata cap from Narine.
KKR vs RCB - Today's match playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (w), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
KKR subs: Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt (w), Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
RCB subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Abhinandan Singh, Manoj Bhandage, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh
Today's KKR vs RCB pitch report
"The pitch has a lot of grass, but not as much as it felt last night. The new ball bowlers will get good bounce. The wrist spinners will also come into play. 200 should be on” - Sunil Gavaskar
Today's KKR vs RCB match players list
Kolkata Knight Riders squad: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Quinton de Kock (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Moeen Ali, Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Mayank Markande, Chetan Sakariya, Luvnith Sisodia
Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Swapnil Singh, Lungi Ngidi, Romario Shepherd, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Bethell, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh
KKR vs RCB - Today's match umpires
On-field umpires: Abhijeet Bengeri, Vinod Seshan
TV umpire: Jayaraman Madanagopal
Match Referee: Prakash Bhatt