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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will battle against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening match of IPL 2025 on Saturday, March 22. It is the 18th edition of the league, and this will be the first time since 2008 that the opening match of IPL will feature KKR and RCB.
Both KKR and RCB are among the five teams to have participated in all the IPL seasons played so far. While KKR have won the IPL trophy three times, RCB have qualified for the finals thrice but lost on all the occasions.
The rivalry between KKR and RCB has entertained many cricket lovers over the last 17 years. In this listicle now, we will look back at the top five batting performances by a Kolkata Knight Riders batter against Bengaluru ahead of their IPL 2025 clash.
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#5 Sunil Narine - 54 (17), IPL 2017
It is rare to see any team score 100 runs in the first six overs of any cricket match, but Kolkata Knight Riders achieved the feat back in 2017 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It was a 'Go Green' special match for RCB at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Travis Head's half-century helped RCB reach 158/6 in 20 overs. In response, KKR raced to 105/0 in six overs, thanks to the aggressive batting from Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn. Lynn was known for his big-hitting at that time, but Narine's 17-ball 54 stunned the RCB fans.
Batting against the likes of Aniket Choudhary, Samuel Badree, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Sreenath Aravind, Narine cleared the boundary easily. He hit six boundaries and four sixes during his 25-minute stay in the middle. KKR won that match by six wickets, with Narine getting the Player of the Match award.
#4 Andre Russell - 48* (13), IPL 2019
Two years later, Andre Russell destroyed the RCB bowling attack while donning the KKR jersey at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Chasing 206 for a win, KKR were down to 153/5 after 17 overs.
New batters Andre Russell and Shubman Gill were in the middle, with KKR needing 53 runs from the last three overs. Russell launched an all-out assault on Mohammed Siraj, Marcus Stoinis and Tim Southee, racing to 48 off just 13 balls. KKR reached 206/5 in 19.1 overs, winning by five wickets with five balls to spare.
Russell smacked one four and seven sixes in the space of 16 minutes to steal the win from the jaws of defeat. He won the Player of the Match award for his 13-ball 48*.
#3 Shardul Thakur - 68 (29), 2023
Shardul Thakur surprisingly went unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction, but just two years ago, he played a brilliant knock of 68 runs from 29 balls for KKR against RCB at Eden Gardens. Thakur walked out to bat when the team's score was 89/5 in the 12th over.
The all-rounder joined hands with Rinku Singh to add 103 runs for the sixth wicket. Rinku played the anchor's role, scoring 46 off 33 balls, but Thakur attacked the RCB bowlers, smashing 68 runs from just 29 deliveries. He batted at a strike rate of 234.38, hitting nine fours and three sixes.
KKR reached 204/7 in 20 overs and won by 81 runs. Thakur deservedly won the Player of the Match award.
#2 Gautam Gambhir - 93 (51), 2012
Former KKR captain Gautam Gambhir recorded the highest individual score of his T20 career against RCB in IPL 2012. Eden Gardens hosted that game, where Gambhir opened the batting and remained in the middle till the 19th over, scoring 93 runs off 51 balls.
Gambhir dominated the RCB bowlers, smacking nine fours and five sixes. He maintained a brilliant strike rate of 182.35, ensuring KKR posted 190/4 on the board. KKR defeated RCB by 47 runs and Gambhir won the Player of the Match.
#1 Brendon McCullum - 158* (73), 2008
It should not be a surprise to see Brendon McCullum's 158-run knock at the top of the list. McCullum set the Indian Premier League on fire in the opening match of the inaugural season by destroying the RCB bowling unit at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The right-handed opener whacked 10 fours and 13 sixes in his 73-ball knock to guide KKR to 222/3 in 20 overs. KKR then bowled RCB out for 140 runs to register their first win ever.
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