RCB & Virat Kohli in Season openers: A mixed bag of disappointing defeats and a rare win

The 2008 U-19 World Cup title winning captain, Virat Kohli, was the 2nd player to be picked in the IPL draft which happened after the Auction. Delhi Daredevils, who had the first choice to draft a player opted for Pradeep Sangwan. The legendary association between RCB and Virat Kohli would have never materialised had Delhi Daredevils opted for Virat Kohli. Kohli is one of the very few players to have featured in all 18 IPL seasons and certainly the only one to stick with the same team.

RCB played the season opener on 5 occasions, including the first-ever IPL game, incidentally against KKR, their opponents of the 2025 season opener.

2008: The young kid in the middle of legends

The first-ever IPL game boasted some of the all-time greats of World Cricket. Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, two of the favourite sons of the 90s kids led RCB and KKR as icon players. Ganguly had the great Australian Ricky Ponting by his side and Dravid got the greatest all-rounder Jacques Kallis with him. Brendon McCullum’s stunning 158* overshadowed everyone and it won’t be an overstatement if one were to say that Virat Kohli was an afterthought on that day .Kohli batted at No.3 and made just 1 run. RCB were dismissed for just 82, an incredible 76 runs adrift of McCullum’s score.

The IPL got the sensational start it deserved, except for the men in Red.

2017: Repeat of the 2016 final

Virat Kohli had long become the poster boy of IPL alongside MS Dhoni and missed the season opener due to a shoulder injury. Defending champions SRH won the game by a comfortable margin of 37 runs in front of the Hyderabad faithful.

2019: The nightmare in Chepauk

RCB survived only 17.1 overs for a meagre 70 runs against CSK. Kohli lasted just 12 balls for his 6 runs and was the first wicket of Harbhajan Singh in the yellow of CSK.

2021: Rohit vs Kohli in Dhoni territory

Covid-19 pandemic forced the organisers to host matches in select venues. They were also particular about not giving home advantage to any of the teams. This resulted in defending champions MI playing RCB in Chennai. The game lived up to its blockbuster billing. RCB chased 160 with 0 balls to spare thanks to a stunning late blitz by AB de Villiers, who scored 48 off 27. Virat Kohli made a decent contribution of 33 from 29 balls.

2024: The emotional rollercoaster

MS Dhoni decided to relinquish the CSK captaincy for once on the eve of the 2024 season opener. Ruturaj Gaikwad had a smooth sailing as the captain of CSK as his charges chased down 174 with more than an over to spare. Virat Kohli played a sedate 21 off 20 balls and was one of the 4 victims of Mustafizur Rahman, who made his debut for CSK.

2025 – Can Kohli and RCB end the 18-year wait?

The Number 18 has a telling impact in Virat Kohli’s career. He played a gritty knock for his Ranji side Delhi the day after his father passed away on 18th December 2006. He made his international debut on 18th August 2008. It’s that 18 connection which is making the RCB fans to believe even more and they are singing the popular chant “Ee Sala Cup namde” with more vigour. The RCB think tank has assembled a balanced squad. A statement win against the dominant Knight Riders will be a step in the right direction.