Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders Preview & Tips - KKR to bounce back from opening defeat by downing the Royals

Kolkata Knight Riders were easily beaten by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening match of the campaign as their hopes of defending their title were dented. 

Both sides have won five of their last 10 meetings. 

Rajasthan Royals played a big part in the highest-scoring match of the IPL so far, but they were left to rue what might have been as they slipped to a 44-run defeat. 

With the ball in hand, RR were no match for Sunrisers Hyderabad as they were smashed to all corners of the pitch. Jofra Archer came in for particular punishment as he went for 76 runs without a wicket, costing 19.00 per over. 

With the bat, RR smashed their way to 242/6, but they could not keep up with the required run rate as they were well beaten. While the Royals will beat other sides when batting like that, they could not take the necessary wickets often enough to restrict their opponents. 

While the Royals will hope that home comforts can help them to get their first win of the season, their woeful run of six defeats in their last seven is a major worry when they take on the reigning champions. 

Kolkata Knight Riders knew the 2025 season was going to be a tough one after they put a sizeable target on their backs following their impressive triumph in the Grand Final in 2024. 

However, they would have hoped to have put up more of a fight as they raised the curtain on the new season against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Batting first, KKR fought to 174/8, with this seemingly a competitive score. RCB made it immediately clear that it was never going to be enough as they romped to 95/0 in 8.2 overs. While they did lose Phil Salt (56) before the halfway mark, Virat Kohli's classy 59 not out saw RCB over the line with seven wickets and 22 balls to spare. 

In their second game, KKR have to be better across the pitch. Sunil Narine (44) and Ajinkya Rahane (56) went well with the bat, but most others failed. With the ball, no bowler bar Narine could keep their economy rate below 10.00. 

While I do back KKR to get their season up and running, they will have to be far better. Sunil Narine was impressive in both facets of the game, and I back him to continue to score runs with the bat as he leads his side to a much-needed win.