India, March 23 -- Royal Challengers Bengaluru romped home to a 7-wicket victory over KKR in the opening game of the IPL 2025 season, completing the chase with 22 deliveries to spare in a dominant performance as a new era dawns. Nevertheless, it was an old hero who was central to the victory, as Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 59* in a fluent innings that showed he has picked up from where he left off last season.

The first match was a celebration of the IPL, including the opening ceremony in which Kohli was invited on stage to dance along with Shah Rukh Khan, bringing together two of the biggest celebrities in the country. Kohli's stature within India as a whole was further put into picture, as partway through the chase, a pitch invader ...