Kolkata Knight Riders had a disappointing start to their title defense.
At one point, they were cruising at 96 for 1 in 9 overs, eyeing a 200-plus total. However, they lost their way and settled for just 174 runs. Defending that total proved to be too big a task as Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their IPL campaign with a comfortable win, thanks to fiery fifties from Phil Salt and Virat Kohli.
Bengaluru sealed a 7-wicket victory in the opening match of the 18th edition of the IPL at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. They chased down the 175-run target with 22 balls to spare.
It was a dream start for Bengaluru under new captain Rajat Patidar. In contrast, last season’s champions Kolkata had a rough beginning under their new skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
Interestingly, both captains shone with the bat. Rahane smashed 56 off 31 balls with 4 sixes and 6 fours. Patidar played a quick cameo of 34 off 16 balls with 5 fours and a six.
Playing his 400th T20 match, Virat Kohli remained unbeaten with a classy 59 off 36 balls, hitting 3 sixes and 4 fours. In the process, he became the first cricketer to score 1,000 runs against four different teams in the IPL.
Phil Salt, who had played a crucial role in Kolkata’s title win last season, made a brilliant debut for Bengaluru. The English opener scored 56 off 31 balls, smashing 9 fours and 2 sixes.
Surprisingly, neither Kohli nor Salt won the Player of the Match award. That honor went to left-arm spinning all-rounder Krunal Pandya, who picked up 3 wickets for 29 runs in 4 overs. His spell helped Bengaluru bounce back when Kolkata was poised for a big total.
This was the first time since the inaugural season in 2008 that these two teams faced off in the opening match. After suffering four consecutive losses against Kolkata over the last two seasons, Bengaluru finally broke the streak.
Match Summary
- Kolkata Knight Riders: 174/8 in 20 overs (Rahane 56, Narine 44, Raghuvanshi 30; Krunal Pandya 3/29, Hazlewood 2/22)
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 177/3 in 16.2 overs (Kohli 59*, Salt 56, Patidar 34; Narine 1/27, Varun 1/43)
Result: Bengaluru won by 7 wickets.
Player of the Match: Krunal Pandya.
