Ajinkya Rahane falls after scoring a 50 on captaincy debut for KKR against RCB in IPL 2025 opener 

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane departed after scoring a boundary-filled half-century. He tried to go for a big shot but ended up finding a fielder at the fence, being dismissed for 56 off 31 deliveries.

Rahane walked out to bat in the first over of the contest, after Quinton de Kock (4 off 5) was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. Rahane wasted no time in setting the stage alight, taking down any bowler, spinner, and pacer alike. The 36-year-old managed to make a mark on captaincy debut, getting to a half-century with a maximum and doing so in only 25 deliveries.

Looking to continue in a similar vein, Rahane looked to ramp the scoring rate and pick up a boundary off the bowling of Krunal Pandya. He was successful in doing so but didn't get enough distance on that one, finding Rasikh Dar in the deep.

Take a look at the dismissal here.

Ajinkya Rahane was the third wicket to fall for Kolkata Knight Riders. His wicket brought his statemate and KKR's number five Angkrish Raghuvanshi to the middle.

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Quick wickets in the middle have seen KKR's run rate take a toll

Krunal Pandya picked up 3/29 in the four overs he sent down on RCB debut - Source: Getty

Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and elected to bowl first, with the franchise making merry of the conditions by prizing the wicket of Quinton de Kock early. However, Sunil Narine (44 off 25) and Ajinkya Rahane (56 off 31) put together 103 runs before the former was dismissed.

Wickets fell at regular intervals, with Andre Russell (4 off 3) falling cheaply towards the end overs. At the end of 20 overs, KKR have managed to score 174/8 and will be looking to defend the total, aiming to start their title defense with a win.