Virat Kohli, Phil Salt power RCB to victory in IPL opener

KOLKATA: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) secured a stunning victory in the opening match of the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). RCB defeated the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets. Chasing a target of 175 runs, RCB easily crossed the line in just 16.2 overs, losing only three wickets. Explosive half-centuries from English opener Phil Salt and Virat Kohli paved the way for the comfortable win.

Phil Salt (56 off 31) and Virat Kohli (59* off 36) gave RCB a strong start in the chase, stitching together a 95-run partnership in just 8.3 overs. The partnership broke when Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Salt. Malayali batter Devdutt Padikkal, who came in next, scored 10 runs off 10 balls before getting out quickly. Captain Rajat Patidar accelerated the innings with a fiery 34 off 16 balls but got out when just 13 runs were needed for victory.

Liam Livingstone came in later and remained unbeaten, guiding RCB to victory. For KKR, Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy took one wicket each.

Earlier, batting first, Kolkata Knight Riders posted 174 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their 20 overs. Captain Ajinkya Rahane led the innings with an unbeaten 56 off 31 balls, while Sunil Narine contributed a quick 44 off 26 balls. Despite a strong start of 109 for 2 in the first 10 overs, KKR's middle order faltered.

RCB bowlers did well to restrict KKR, who at one point seemed set to score over 200 runs. Krunal Pandya stood out for RCB, claiming three wickets while conceding just 29 runs in his four overs.