KKR vs RCB: 3 players due to whom KKR suffered a crushing defeat in the first match against RCB

The 2025 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) has started. This time the first match was between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and fan-favourite Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Before this match, it was being expected that the Kolkata team might win the match because it was on their home ground. However, RCB won over KKR with a one-sided match.

KKR had posted a total of 174 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their designated 20 overs. RCB came in strong to their chase, and were having an upper hand from the beginning of the match. They completed their chase in 16.2 overs while losing just 3 wickets. On that note, let's take a look at 3 key players who caused KKR to lose their clash.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell is one of the biggest match winners the team has. He has the capability to lead the team towards victory all by himself. However, he got dismissed for just 4 runs in 3 balls. Had he been safe in the death overs, KKR might have crossed the 200-run mark.

Harshit Rana

Harshit Rana is the main pace bowler of the Knight Riders. He had given an impressive display when the team won the IPL title last year. However, he turned out to be a flop show even before the tournament began. Harshit gave 32 runs during his spell of 3 overs while securing no wicket. ip

Venkatesh Iyer

During the IPL 2025 mega-auction, KKR had bought Venkatesh Iyer for a very high price. He is the most expensive player of the team for this season. However, his bat did not open in the firs match as he got dismissed for 6 runs off 7 balls.