Kolkata: Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a 7-wicket loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game of TATA IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane led from the front with a scintillating 56 runs in 31 balls to get KKR off to a blistering start, before the team stumbled in the middle overs, posting a total of 174/8.
Despite the result in the opening game, captain Rahane is confident that the batting unit will bounce back. He said, “The guys who are batting in the middle order are experienced, dangerous and explosive players. They have handled many situations like this in the past. It’s always about giving them the freedom and allowing them to go out there to play their game.”
“When that works out, it looks good. It didn’t work out today and that’s okay, it’s going to happen. It’s a long tournament; we’re going to back every individual”, he added while addressing the media during the post-match press conference.
Reflecting on his performance with the bat, the experienced campaigner shared, “For me, it’s all about contributing to the team. Whatever runs I score, it’s always for the team and that’s what matters to me. I would prefer scoring those runs and ending up on the winning side.”
Rahane also shed some light on the opening combination for KKR, He stated, “We have batters who like to go after the bowlers. Quinton de Kock has been a dangerous player in this format. He has scored runs at the top of the order. Sunil (Narine), we all know he had a brilliant season and he’s been doing really well. As a team, we believe that de Kock and Narine can be a dangerous opening pair.”
Kolkata Knight Riders will look to bounce back when they take on Rajasthan Royals at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on 26th March.
About Kolkata Knight Riders
The Knight Riders brand is a global brand in International Cricket, with eight trophies to its name and four professional franchises under its wings – Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the TATA IPL, Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) in UAE’s International League T20 and Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in USA’s Major League Cricket, making it one of the most versatile brands in T20 cricket globally.
KKR has made four appearances in the TATA IPL final, winning the championship thrice (2012, 2014, 2024). They finished runners-up in the 2021 season, staging one of the most remarkable comebacks in the tournament’s history. TKR’s Men’s Team has won the CPL championship 4 times in 10 years since the Knight Riders took over the franchise. They are the most successful team in the Caribbean and hold a unique feat of having won the trophy in 2020 without losing a single game in the whole tournament. TKR Women, the Knight Riders’ first ever Women’s Team, were champions of the inaugural WCPL in 2022.
For many years now, the Knight Riders Academy has been actively scouting talented cricketers from across India and around the world. The sole objective of the Academy is to identify and help cricketers make an overall round-the-year improvement in their cricketing skills and fitness.
