Kolkata Knight Riders Face Setback in IPL 2025 Opener; Ajinkya Rahane and Bharat Arun Back Andre Russell for Comeback
The start of the IPL 2025 campaign has been challenging for defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who suffered a seven-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane expressed disappointment after the match, stating, “We would love to see the pitch helping the spin bowlers, but this wicket was under cover for the last one-and-a-half days.” Despite having quality spinners like Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, both managed only one wicket each.
Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee responded to Rahane’s comments by affirming that no changes would be made to the pitch, emphasizing that franchises have no say over it. He pointed out that RCB’s spinners, including Krunal Pandya, took four wickets between them, contrasting with KKR’s performance.
In the wake of their loss, KKR’s bowling coach Bharat Arun backed all-rounder Andre Russell to bounce back in their next match against Rajasthan Royals. Russell, who struggled in the opener with just four runs, is eager to make a statement. Arun noted that failure is part of sports and expressed confidence in Russell’s ability to deliver in crucial games moving forward.