The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will kick off with a match between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday (March 22). The match between the two star-studded teams, which also featured in the first-ever IPL match on April 18, 2008, is scheduled to take place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. With Shreyas Iyer at the helm, KKR trampled through the competition in the 2024 IPL season to win nine out of 14 matches. They finished with 20 points to reach Qualifier 1, where they beat a Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad. Gautam Gambhir’s men replicated a similar performance in the final to win their third crown. This season, Ajinkya Rahane is set to lead the KKR’s campaign with Shreyas leaving for the Punjab Kings. Also Read: KKR’s likely playing XI against RCB The Royal Challengers Bengaluru endured a nightmare start to their IPL 2024 campaign. While they won one match out of the first two, they went on to lose the next six to take bottom place. The poor run, however, couldn’t stop RCB from making a late comeback. They eventually defeated the Chennai Super Kings in their final group match to qualify for the playoffs. While they couldn’t make it past the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator, the three-time finalists showcased ample resilience. With Faf du Plessis moving to the Delhi Capitals, Rajat Patidar will lead RCB in the 2025 season. Eden Gardens Pitch Report: The wicket at the Eden Gardens has been historically known to be batting-friendly, especially in T20 cricket. The surface is generally flat, which offers good bounce, making it very conducive to stroke play. It is still not as flat as the pitches in Hyderabad or Bengaluru this year. As the match progresses, spinners can chime in on the action to do maximum damage. Teams winning the toss in Kolkata should ideally choose to bat first. Kolkata Weather Forecast: The IPL 2025 opener in Kolkata may experience some scattered showers with a fifty per cent chance of precipitation. The temperatures will hover around 28 degrees Celsius during the day, which might drop to 22 degrees Celsius at night. The wind speeds will range between 10 km/h and 15 km/h with a maximum humidity level of 81 per cent.