Ajinkya Rahane and Rajat Patidar, the new captains, defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, meet in the much-awaited Indian Premier League-18 season opener at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday (March 22, 2025).

New rules and new captains will be in focus but the razzmatazz will be pretty much the same when the 18th Indian Premier League kicks off in Kolkata amid a looming threat of rain.

Virat Kohli and Phil Salt got off to a staggering start in RCB’s chase of 175 runs against KKR in the opening match of IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens. RCB reached 75 for no loss after five overs. Earlier, KKR failed to capitalise on a great start, managing only 174 for 8 in 20 overs against RCB. Captain Ajinkya Rahane slammed a half-century (56), while Sunil Narine smashed 44 as well. Krunal Pandya picked up three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood ended with figures of 2 for 22. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to bowl against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).