The IPL 2025 will witness the 18th season entering its second phase starting at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on 17th May. You might want to note that the season started with a contest between RCB and KKR at Eden Gardens. A win in this contest for RCB would make them the first team to qualify for the playoffs. This would mean that the defending champions KKR would have been eliminated, with a game still left to play. On the other hand, a win for KKR would make the race for the playoff spots exciting.
Royal Challengers haven’t tasted victory here in Bengaluru in the last ten years. Coming to player milestones, here are some worth watching for:
1. 750 Sixes in T20s: Veteran all-rounder Andre Russell needs to hit three more sixes to reach the 750 mark in T20s. Only Kieron Pollard and Chris Gayle have more in this category.
2. 100 Sixes in IPL: After a long hiatus, Mayank Agarwal has returned to the RCB squad. The sooner he knocks down two more sixes in IPL history, the better he is likely to perform.
3. 50 Sixes in IPL: Representing his third team in as many years, Phil Salt only requires three sixes to reach 50 in IPL.
4. 750 Fours in IPL: Having just reached the milestone of scoring 750 fours, former RCB captain Virat Kohli is just one four away in the IPL. Since this will be the first competitive match after his Test retirement, this could be on the very first ball he faces!
5. 9,000 Runs for RCB: Kohli additionally requires 67 runs to mark his 9,000th run for RCB. In 269 innings for the franchise, he has scored 8,933 runs, by far the highest scorer for the franchise, crashing very close to double the runs from AB de Villiers, who has 4,522.
