Cricket Maha Kumbh IPL 2025 to start today: RCB vs KKR – A thrilling clash in the opening match

IPL 2025's Maha Kumbh is going to start for cricket lovers in just a few hours! In this exciting tournament lasting 65 days, 10 teams will compete fiercely in 74 matches. It will be decided on May 25 whether an old stalwart will capture the trophy again, or a new champion will emerge.

The 18th season of IPL will begin with the glory of jersey number 18. The first match will be played between King Kohli’s team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). This time too, King Khan's KKR is eyeing to win the title for the fourth time, while RCB will go in search of its first title.

RCB's strength:

RCB's batting includes strong players like Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, captain Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal. At the same time, experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood will lead the team in bowling.

KKR's strength:

KKR's biggest strength is its all-rounders - Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. In batting, captain Ajinkya Rahane, Quinton de Kock, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh are ready to make their mark. At the same time, Varun Chakraborty can create problems for the opponents with his spin.

Head-to-head record:

So far 34 matches have been played between RCB and KKR, out of which KKR has won 20 and RCB has won 14 matches. RCB's highest score against KKR is 221 runs, while KKR's best score has been 222 runs.

This match will start at 7:30 pm Indian time at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, fans will hope that rain does not interfere and the match lasts for the full 20 overs.