Virat Kohli will be the star attraction as the former RCB skipper will once again centre stage, after playing a crucial role in India’s Champions Trophy win.
Kolkata Knight Riders face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 opener, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday. It will be an exciting encounter for fans, considering that they will even get to watch some of India’s Champions Trophy winners in action.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s players Virat Kohli and Phil Salt during a training session.(PTI)
Virat Kohli will be the star attraction as the former RCB skipper will once again centre stage, after playing a crucial role in India’s Champions Trophy victory.
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Phil Salt, who was a key figure in defending champions KKR’s title-winning unit last season, joined RCB ahead of the new season. RCB purchased the England opener for ₹11.50 crore after KKR didn’t retain him.
Speaking ahead of the opener, Salt opened up on his relationship with Kohli, and the pair are also expected to open for RCB.
“Virat Kohli is such a good man. He’s so chilled. But for the game, He’s a super competitor, he likes to get in this, he likes to fight, he likes battle. We’re getting on pretty well, I’m pretty happy alongside batting with him,” he said, speaking to RCB’s media team.
Salt in particular will look to bounce back to form after a disappointing 2025 Champions Trophy campaign, where England failed to reach the semis. He only managed 10, 12 and 8 runs during the tournament as his side remained winless.
The upcoming match will also see Rajat Patidar play his first match as RCB full-time skipper. Speaking ahead of the opener, RCB head coach Andy Flower said, “A lot of these guys have captained state sides, IPL teams and international teams. So, we’re very pleased with that, regardless of who was actually captaining our team this year.”
“I think having influential people in your squad, guys that have performed at the top level gives him a level of confidence. You get that confidence from the evidence of you succeeding at the top level in the past. There are a lot of our guys that have done that in, obviously, performance terms, but also leadership terms,” he added.
