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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is all set to commence tonight (March 22) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata with a high-octane clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The Shreyas Iyer-led KKR won the trophy last year by beating SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a one-sided final at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. Courtesy of the win, the Knight Riders added a third IPL trophy to their cabinet, having won it in 2012 and 2014.
Interestingly, Shreyas Iyer is no longer with KKR. He was signed by Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the mega auction after the defending champions released him after the conclusion of the last season. Iyer will lead the PBKS side in IPL 2025, with Ricky Ponting as head coach in the support staff.
The likes of Rajat Patidar and Axar Patel will make their captaincy debuts for RCB and DC in IPL 2025. Fans have been waiting enthusiastically to witness the intense battles between the ten teams in the league. They expressed their anticipation for the tournament before its start by sharing hilarious memes on social media. One meme read:
Trending
"Hum sab fit hai, bas hume Pakistan nahi jana tha" (We are all fit, we just did not want to go to Pakistan)
Here are some of the best memes:
"The biggest battle to watch out for in this match is V for Virat and V for Varun"- Aakash Chopra ahead of RCB vs KKR IPL 2025 opening match
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra recently previewed the opening match of IPL 2025 between KKR and RCB and picked the battle between Virat Kohi and Varun Chakaravarthy as the one to watch out for. Speaking on the matter in a video on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the cricketer-turned-commentator stated:
"The biggest battle to watch out for in this match is V for Virat and V for Varun. They are two quality operators. Virat Kohli played extremely well last year. There was criticism but he kept scoring and eventually, the Orange Cap was on his head. He took the team to the playoffs as well. However, things changed after that. Of course, you won the T20 World Cup and then retired from T20Is, but Test cricket didn't go well."
He added:
"However, you picked up the pieces in the Champions Trophy, and it again seems like Kohli is at his Virat best. This could be a defining season because he is not getting younger by the day and it is an entirely new setup. The captain and the entire team are new. In the batting order, barring Rajat Patidar and Kohli, there is no one else from the last year. So it remains to be seen how Kohli plays."
Do you agree with Aakash Chopra's views above? Let us know in the comments section.
Get real-time updates on IPL 2025, including live scores, match schedules, points table & squad details for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT & PBKS
