Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy provided a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Phil Salt in the IPL 2025 opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The English batter was in full flow when the 33-year-old outfoxed him on 56, claiming his first wicket of the innings.
The dismissal came in the ninth over, with KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane handing Varun Chakravarthy his third over after conceding 27 runs in his first two. Salt, attempting an aggressive shot outside off, only managed a thick edge, which Spencer Johnson at short third man smartly grabbed with a sliding effort to his left.
The wicket ended a commanding 95-run partnership between Salt and Virat Kohli, offering some much-needed relief to the defending champions. You can watch the video here:
Phil Salt gone, Varun Chakravarthy taking matters in hand#RCBvsKKR #KKRvsRCB pic.twitter.com/qSf7KcX59k
— Raja (@_raja_kumar) March 22, 2025
Phil Salt had previously dominated the spinner in his first over when Rahane introduced him during the powerplay. The England opener, who reached his fifty in just 25 balls, went on an all-out attack, hammering three fours and a six to plunder 22 runs from the over. By the end of four overs, Royal Challengers had raced to 58/0.
Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood shone with the ball before Salt’s onslaught
Meanwhile, Rajat Patidar and his side delivered a stellar bowling performance, restricting the Knight Riders to 174/8 in their allotted 20 overs after electing to field first. Josh Hazlewood provided an early breakthrough, dismissing Quinton de Kock in the opening over, but Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane quickly countered with aggressive stroke play.
Rasikh Salam ended the 103-run partnership by removing Narine for 44, while Krunal Pandya dismissed Rahane for 56. Angkrish Raghuvanshi contributed 30, but Andre Russell and Rinku Singh struggled to make an impact. Pandya impressed with figures of 4-0-29-3, while Hazlewood finished with 4-0-22-2.
Having suffered two defeats against the eventual champions last season, this win would be a satisfying result for the Royal Challengers.
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