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Rinku, Russell Failure And...? - 3 Key Moments Where KKR Lost The IPL 2025 Opener vs RCB

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

KKR and RCB players after IPL 2025 Match 1 [Source: iplt20.com]KKR and RCB players after IPL 2025 Match 1 [Source: iplt20.com]

In the opening match of IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a 7-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Despite a promising start, KKR's campaign began with disappointment as RCB comfortably chased down their target of 175 with 21 balls to spare. While cricket matches often hinge on numerous small moments, here are three critical junctures that effectively sealed KKR's fate.

1. The Double Blow: Narine and Rahane Departures

The cornerstone of KKR's innings was undoubtedly the 103-run partnership between Sunil Narine and captain Ajinkya Rahane. Batting with fluency and power, they positioned KKR for a potential 180+ total. However, disaster struck when both set batsmen were dismissed in the space of just four deliveries.

Narine (44 off 28) fell on the final ball of the 10th over to Rasikh Dar, and Rahane (56 off 32) followed him back to the pavilion on the third ball of the 11th over, caught off Krunal Pandya's bowling. These twin dismissals removed KKR's two in-form batsmen who were striking at rates of 157.14 and 175.00 respectively, triggering a collapse from which KKR never recovered.

2. Krunal Pandya's Game-Changing 11th Over

The 11th over, bowled by Krunal Pandya, represented a dramatic momentum shift. This pivotal over yielded just 3 runs and included the crucial wicket of Rahane. The data reveals this as a turning point - KKR's run rate plummeted from 10.19 to 9.57 after this over, marking the beginning of their batting decline.

Krunal Pandya changed the game's momentum for RCB [Source: iplt20.com]Krunal Pandya changed the game's momentum for RCB [Source: iplt20.com]

Pandya's 3/29 proved to be the standout bowling performance, with his victims including Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer (bowled in the 12th over), and Rinku Singh (bowled in the 15th over). His left-arm orthodox spin consistently troubled KKR's middle order, preventing any rebuilding efforts.

3. Death Overs Disaster

KKR's most significant failing came in the death overs (16-20), where their batting disintegrated completely. The statistics tell a the complete story:

In the crucial death overs, KKR managed a paltry 23 runs off 24 balls while losing two wickets. Their boundary count collapsed to just one four and one six, compared to twelve boundaries in the powerplay. Particularly underwhelming were overs 17 (4 runs), 19 (4 runs), and 20 (5 runs), which prevented KKR from posting a more challenging total.