KKR vs. RCB:
“You are a really special breed of cricketer,” he declared after 8 pointers. Some unsolicited free advice: you might want to save your best for David Beyond in the IPL.” With that, the alarm goes off. Red alert for the Kolkata Knight Riders, who in the IPL 2025 opener resembled little of their harmonious self from last season.
Kohli’s bad run extends into the IPL, Kuhoo-and so does his warning for bowlers from all franchises.
The Saturday night at Eden Gardens was full of people, and everybody was busy. And yet, despite the home team’s shortcomings, entertainment galore was to be had, including the performance of Shah Rukh Khan with Kohli alongside him, Shreya Ghoshal’s mellifluous voice, and the batsman’s dhamaka that kick-started the season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru with victories.
And therefore, there was not the customary visit of Shah Rukh to meet and greet the fans from backstage after such a loss that did seem a bit on the heavy side, losing by seven wickets.
Kohli and Phil Salt-the former Knight-were on one side; he barrelled all hopes of a comeback by smashing the KKR attack in the initial hours of their 175-run chase. The match tilted completely when the first duo posted 95 in 8.3 overs.
Kohli was in his deadly phase. He had never hit 25 off 10 deliveries in a T20 innings before, and there was simply no stopping him. He set the tone by mercilessly slog-sweeping Varun Chakravarthy out of the match. With Sunil Narine hardly troubling them either, the Knights were left scrambling to catch up.”
Captain’s knock
There was really not much to it: Suyash Sharma had tossed it up on the off stump, seeking a landing on a length while possibly straightening just a bit. Ajinkya Rahane had timed the ball impeccably; he did not give a second thought and got into perfect position.
Down on one knee, he muscled his slog sweep over midwicket for a six that helped him complete his half century in just 25 balls. This gave the Eden Gardens crowd a chance to come to life from their stupor, which they had fallen into in the initial overs.
This was Rahane’s third-fastest fifty in the IPL, and it had six boundaries and four sixths. This was indeed the counterattack that KKR needed.
The new ball was doing plenty at Eden Gardens, and KKR was struggling for nine runs in the first three overs after losing Quinton de Kock.
Rahane, with his 56 off 31 balls, was calm, showing his side there was little to worry about. That incited Narine to unleash, breaking free after one of his slowest starts in the IPL: 5 off 11.
He walked away after smashing Rasikh Salam in the fourth over with a boundary and two sixes. That sealed the deal for the home side. The KKR team soared to reach 60 in the Powerplay.
Hazlewood’s class
The better pace-offering Eden wicket was made use of by Josh Hazlewood, who duly excelled in the conditions there, drying up the runs and early on cramping De Kock for space.
The way Hazlewood was using angles in Powerplay and slogovers made it rather difficult to score off him. On one hand, he was very precise; on the other, he was really consistent, making it all the tougher for the batters.
Krunal Pandya could have been the most successful bowler in that spell, but it was more for the reckless batting that his artfulness was not really tested.
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