The IPL 2025 season is set for a thrilling start as defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the iconic Eden Gardens. With a dominant last season behind them, KKR will be eager to pick up where they left off and extend their winning streak against RCB.
Star spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, a key figure in KKR’s championship-winning campaign, shared his thoughts ahead of the much-anticipated clash. When asked about his impressive record against RCB, he played down personal success, attributing his performances to match situations.
Nothing in specific, just the situation of those matches which helped me pick wickets. In all those games, the conditions and the situations were completely favourable towards us, so I was able to extract the best possible result.
KKR’s squad for the new season looks promising, but Chakaravarthy believes consistency will be the key to another successful campaign.
I think it’s about cracking the code and having the best playing XI performing consistently. If we are able to get a set core in the first three matches, then we have great chances ahead in this season.
The experienced spinner has also been working on fine-tuning his game, coming into the IPL on the back of a strong showing for the Indian team.
The main thing is working on consistency, which is the toughest thing to master, and I’m putting in constant work to achieve that. And of course, I’m working on a few other deliveries which I’m hoping will come off nicely in the upcoming games.
RCB head into the season with renewed ambition, and head coach Andy Flower is optimistic about the team’s preparations.
They had a great season last year, but this is a new year. Everyone has got new squads, we have had a great preparation period. We like the look of our squad. We are pretty much ready.
With Patidar stepping into the captaincy role, Flower expressed confidence in the team’s leadership structure. “We were conscious of building an experienced side in our recruitment. They will be able to give a lot of support to Rajat. I think he is really excited about this challenge, and we're right behind him.”
RCB’s batting line-up boasts the likes of Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, and Krunal Pandya — providing depth and explosiveness. However, they will face a stern challenge from KKR’s renowned spin attack.
Chakaravarthy is in really good form and we know about Narine over many years. But that is why you play this game at this level — to test yourself against the best in the world.
With two big away fixtures against KKR and Chennai Super Kings to start the campaign, RCB have a tough road ahead. But for Patidar and his team, it is an opportunity to make a statement early in the season.
As the stage is set at Eden Gardens, fans can expect a high-intensity clash between a dominant KKR unit and an RCB side hungry to prove themselves in a new era.
Squad:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt (wk), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Daya
