Virat Kohli and Phil Salt scored fifties and pretty much smashed KKR out of their own park in Kolkata to get RCB off to a flying start this season.

Magnificent fifties by star batter Virat Kohli and new signing Phil Salt guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a comfortable seven-wicket win over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening match of the IPL 2025 on Saturday at the Eden Gardens.

Liam Livingstone sealed RCB’s dominant 7-wicket win with a six and a four as they chased 175 in 16.2 overs. Virat Kohli anchored with a fifty, while Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar’s quickfire knocks powered the victory.