The last time Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faced off in an IPL opening match was on April 18, 2008, in the tournament’s very first game. That clash at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium set the stage for what the IPL would become—a high-octane, boundary-blasting spectacle. Seventeen years later, as they gear up for the IPL 2025 opener on March 22, 2025, at Eden Gardens, it’s worth revisiting that historic showdown.
Back in 2008, KKR won the toss and chose to bat, unleashing Brendon McCullum on an unsuspecting RCB. The Kiwi wicketkeeper-batter delivered a masterclass, smashing an unbeaten 158 off 73 balls—packed with 10 fours and 13 sixes. His onslaught powered KKR to a towering 222/3, with Sourav Ganguly (10) and Ricky Ponting (20) playing second fiddle. RCB’s bowlers were left shell-shocked: Zaheer Khan bled 38 runs in 4 overs, Jacques Kallis leaked 48 in his spell, and Cameron White got hammered for 24 in a single over.
RCB’s chase never got off the ground. Chasing 223, they imploded against KKR’s attack, bowled out for just 82 in 15.1 overs. Ajit Agarkar struck early, finishing with 3/25, while Ashok Dinda (2/9) and Ishant Sharma tightened the screws. Rahul Dravid’s 2 off 3 was a rare misfire, and only Praveen Kumar (18 not out) showed any fight. The rest of the lineup—including a young Virat Kohli (1 off 5)—crumbled, with no other batter reaching double digits. KKR cruised to a 140-run victory, the biggest win by runs in IPL history at the time, and McCullum walked away as Player of the Match.
The 2008 playing XIs tell a story of a different era:
- KKR: Sourav Ganguly (C), Brendon McCullum (WK), Ricky Ponting, David Hussey, Mohammad Hafeez, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Ashok Dinda, Ishant Sharma.
- RCB: Rahul Dravid (C), Wasim Jaffer, Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, Cameron White, Mark Boucher (WK), Balachandra Akhil, Ashley Noffke, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Sunil Joshi.
Fast forward to 2025, and Kohli remains the lone survivor from that game likely to feature tonight. KKR enter as defending champions with three IPL titles, while RCB, despite their star power, are still chasing that elusive first trophy. That 2008 thrashing was a sign of things to come—KKR have since won 20 of their 34 IPL clashes with RCB, including eight of 12 at Eden Gardens. Will KKR’s home dominance hold, or can RCB flip the script in this season opener? We’ll know soon enough as the action unfolds in Kolkata.
