Okay, so everyone’s still buzzing about India winning the Champions Trophy 2025. And now, get ready for more cricket! The IPL 2025 is kicking off on March 22nd (that’s a Saturday). The first game? It’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who won last time, going up against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. RCB really wants to win their first IPL title after 18 years, so they need to start strong with their best team.
Virat Kohli & Phil Salt to Start, Rajat Patidar to Captain
After the IPL 2025 auction, there was talk that RCB might pick Virat Kohli as their new captain. But, they picked Rajat Patidar for the job. He’ll be batting at number 3. Then comes a bunch of powerful hitters like Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, and Krunal Pandya at numbers 4 to 7. Jitesh will probably be the main wicketkeeper over Salt.
One player RCB might miss is England’s Jacob Bethell. He could have been in the starting eleven.
Josh Hazlewood a massive miss
RCB’s biggest buy in the IPL 2025 auction was Josh Hazlewood, the Australian fast bowler. They paid a lot for him – Rs 12.5 crore. But he didn’t play in the Champions Trophy 2025 for Australia because of a hip injury. So, RCB might have to play without their main fast bowler.
Without Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will need to lead the bowling attack. Lungi Ngidi will be the main foreign fast bowler. Rasikh Dar and Yash Dayal should make the attack more balanced. Krunal Pandya will be the main spinner, and Suyash Sharma could come in as a substitute to mix things up.
Playing 11 vs KKR
Virat Kohli,Phil Salt,Rajat Patidar © Liam Livingstone,Krunal Pandya,Tim David, Jitesh Sharma,Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,Nuwan Tushara/ Lungi Ngidi, Suyash sharma.
Impact Sub: Yash Dayal, Devdutt Padikkal.
