Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) seasoned pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the notable absentee in their playing XI for the IPL 2025 opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens stadium on March 22. Bhuvneshwar's absence came a surprise of RCB fans. However, it was subsequently revealed that the 35-year-old had sustained an injury, explaining his absence from the crucial encounter.
“We go with 2 spinners and 3 pacers. Salt, Liam, Tim, and Hazlewood fill the overseas quota! Unfortunately, Bhuvi misses out due to a minor injury. He’ll be back soon,” RCB franchise posted on X after the toss.
RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first against KKR in their campaign opener.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar, after winning the toss, said:
"We have decided to bowl first, the pitch looks hard. Amazing to lead RCB and great opportunity to learn from the great players. We have done proper preparations for the last 10-15 days. I am confused with this impact player. We are going with 4 fast bowlers and 2 spinners."
Meanwhile, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane, after losing the toss, said:
"It's an honour to lead this team. Our preparation has been good, the core group has been the same. Looking forward to bat well first and defend later on. It is all about giving the players the freedom and allow them to play as a unit. We are playing 3 fast bowlers and 2 spinners."
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI):
Virat Kohli, Philip Salt(w), Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI):
Quinton de Kock(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy