Phil Salt on leading RCB to an easy victory over KKR: “Had a great time here last year, but no friends out there.”

Virat Kohli and Phil Salt’s outstanding half-centuries were key in the victory, as RCB easily chased down a target of 175 with 22 balls remaining. At Eden Gardens on Saturday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated the defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by a commanding seven wickets to start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign in fine fashion.

Rajat Patidar, the captain of Bengaluru, chose to bowl first after winning the toss. Ajinkya Rahane (56), the captain, and Sunil Narine (44) led KKR to 107 runs in just 10 overs, giving them a strong start. But RCB recovered with to an outstanding bowling display by Josh Hazlewood (2/22) and Krunal Pandya (3/29). The host team finished their innings at 174/8 after the middle and lower order found it difficult to keep the scoreboard moving.

Salt and Virat Kohli responded by taking on the KKR bowlers from the opening over. The Englishman, playing against his old team, scored a fast knock of 56 off 31 deliveries, while Virat Kohli slammed an undefeated 59 off 36 balls. Prior to the 2025 mega auction, Salt—who was instrumental in KKR’s 2024 championship campaign—was released, enabling RCB to pay INR 11.50 crore to secure his services. The 28-year-old talked about playing against KKR, batting with Kohli, and forging an important alliance after the game.

“I think the partnership was the most satisfying aspect of the bat. Kohli and I haven’t batted together very often, so it was really nice to go out there and form a connection. I know this ground and these folks (KKR) pretty well. Yes, it did (the ball came on wonderfully in the second innings), and all you had to do was smash the ball while standing motionless. As a batting group, we discussed that and were quite happy with the result. I won the prize and had a terrific time here last year. At the news conference following the game, Salt stated, “There are obviously no friends out there (in this league).”

In Varun Chakravarthy’s opening over, Phil Salt smashes 20 runs.

The batsman-wicketkeeper made his old team pay for their choice. In a single over, he hit Varun Chakravarthy for twenty runs. The team was in a good position at 95/1 in the ninth over when Chakravarthy got rid of him.

Kohli made sure there were no more problems in the second half of the innings when Salt started the chase. He kept the scoreboard moving by playing cricket without taking any chances. With a brief cameo of 34 off 16 balls, Patidar made it easy for the squad to cross the finish line. By adding those vital points to the points table, the team began the season on a high note. On March 28, they will play the Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk.