KKR vs RCB: 5 players to watch out for in the IPL 2025 opener

The wait is finally over and the loads of excitement can be put to rest as the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) later in the day on 22 March, 2025 in the opening encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Both these teams witnessed quite different fortunes in the last season of the competition. Kolkata Knight Riders went on to win their third IPL title while Royal Challengers Bangalore ended up losing the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024. However, both these teams will be hoping for a consistent run in IPL 2025 even with a slight transition in the combination of their sides. 

Top 5 players to watch out for in the KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 match

1. Virat Kohli

Not only for the massive RCB fan army, star cricketer Virat Kohli will be a key figure to watch out for in the KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 opener scheduled to be held on Saturday. He is coming into this cash-rich T20 league on the back of some exceptional performances with the bat in the recently concluded India's triumph at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Incidentally, Kohli finished as the leading run-getter in the previous edition of the IPL where he smashed a brilliant tally of 741 runs from 15 games at an impressive average of more than 61 that included five half-centuries and one hundred. He will once again be hoping to continue his stunning form in IPL 2025 as well and fireworks could be a lot more especially when he has already retired from T20I cricket.

2. Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy experienced a starc rise in his stocks at the international level after picking wickets on consistent basis during the last few editions of the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He made a comeback into the Indian T20I side and then played a vital role in India lifting the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai. While talking about Varun Chakravarthy stats in IPL history, the mystery spinner has picked up a total of 83 wickets from 70 games at a fine economy rate of less than 8. Therefore, he was retained by KKR at a whopping price of INR 12 Crore ahead of the IPL 2025 auction and he will once again be a crucial performer for his franchise in the upcoming season. 

3. Rajat Patidar

It was definitely a very bold call from the Royal Challengers Bangalore team management when they decided to appoint Rajat Patidar as their captain for the IPL 2025 season. After having released former skipper Faf du Plessis, Kohli was touted as the number one contender to once again lead RCB, however, the team management chose to look ahead and Patidar did really well with the bat during the previous season. The swashbuckling right-hander notched up a total of 395 runs from 15 matches at a remarkable strike-rate of close to 180. Patidar will be aiming to manage both his batting and captaincy duties to the best of his abilities and help RCB win their maiden IPL title. 

4. Sunil Narine

Kolkata Knight Riders' Sunil Narine has been a legendary performer in the Indian Premier League history both with the ball and bat. His all-rounder abilities played a crucial role in KKR lifting their third IPL trophy in 2024. He finished IPL 2024 with a total of 17 wickets alongside a sensational batting strike-rate of over 180. Narine has picked up an exceptional tally of 180 IPL wickets in 176 matches at an excellent economy of 6.73. He was thus, retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders at a price worth INR 12 Crore before the IPL 2025 mega auction. 

5. Venkatesh Iyer

A lot of eyeballs were raised when the Kolkata Knight Riders bought Venkatesh Iyer at a mammoth price of INR 23.75 Crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. The left-hander smacked a superb tally of 370 runs from as many as 14 games that included a total of four fifties. He has also been a consistent performer in the Indian domestic circuit and therefore, the KKR management showed a lot of faith in him. Iyer has been named as the KKR vice-captain for IPL 2025.