Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cruised to victory over reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. KKR managed a total of just 174, which was chased down by RCB with ease, in just 16.2 overs. A big contribution to KKR’s total was made by West Indies star Sunil Narine, who slammed 44 off 26 balls. However, there was a contentious hit-wicket call against Narine, which was not given by the umpire.
During his knock, RCB were suddenly left intrigued when the bails abruptly fell. It appeared to be Virat Kohli who brought attention to the fact, and replays showed that Narine might have knocked them over with his bat.
“How did the bails fall off,” Kohli can be seen asking RCB wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma.
“I don’t know, I wasn’t paying attention. My eyes were on the ball,” Jitesh replied.
There also appeared to be a half-hearted appeal from RCB’s new skipper Rajat Patidar, but nothing materialised out of it.
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Replays showed that Narine might’ve knocked over the bails with his batswing, but no action was taken by RCB or the umpires to get the decision changed.
Had Narine been found guilty of knocking the bails over when the ball was active, he could’ve been ruled out hit-wicket.
Narine ended up slamming 44 off 26 balls, hitting five boundaries and three sixes, and joined hands with Ajinkya Rahane for a 103-run partnership that saw KKR reach 107/1 in 9.5 overs.
However, Narine’s dismissal – on the final ball of the 10th over – was the start of a collapse that the Knight Riders could not recover from. Ajinkya Rahane, who smashed 56 off 31 balls, departed three balls later.
KKR’s star-studded middle order flopped, as Venkatesh Iyer (6), Rinku Singh (12) and Andre Russell (4) all failed to score big. The three players are worth a combined Rs 48.75 crore following the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Instead, it was former KKR man Phil Salt who helped RCB get off to a flying start with the bat. RCB raced to 80/0 in the powerplay. Salt and opening partner Kohli both smashed half-centuries, building the foundation for a relatively comfortable run chase.
KKR’s net-run-rate is now at -2.137 after the heavy defeat, something that could prove costly for them towards the business end of the season.
KKR next take on Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on March 26, while RCB visit Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on March 28.
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