IPL 2025 opener: Kohli, Salt assault leads RCB to seven-wicket win over KKR
Kolkata, Mar 22 (PTI): Magnificent fifties by star batter Virat Kohli and new signing Philip Salt guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a comfortable seven-wicket win over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the IPL 2025 here on Saturday.
Kohli (59 not out, 36b, 4x4, 3x6) and Salt (56, 31b, 9x4, 2x6) added 95 runs for the opening wicket in just 8.3 overs as RCB chased down KKR’s 174/8 in just 16.2 overs. They made 177 for three.
Earlier, skipper Ajinkya Rahane made a wonderful 56 and shared a 103-run stand for the second wicket with Sunil Narine (44, 26b) as at one stage KKR looked to break the 200-run margin with ease.
However, RCB bowlers led by left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya (3/29) staged a splendid comeback. Pacer Josh Hazlewood got two wickets.
Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders: 174/8 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 56, Sunil Narine 44, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 30; Krunal Pandya 3/29) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 177/3 in 16.2 overs (Phil Salt 56, Virat Kohli 59 not out, Rajat Patidar 34) by 7 wickets.
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Rupee declines 27 paise to 90.95 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 27 paise to 90.95 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, weighed down by a strong American currency and higher crude oil prices due to the escalated geopolitical tension.
A selling rush in domestic equities further pressured the Indian currency, forex traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 90.94 and slipped further to trade at 90.95 against the greenback in early deals, losing 27 paise from its previous closing level.
The rupee rose 4 paise to settle at 90.68 against the US dollar on Wednesday. The currency exchange markets were closed on Thursday on account of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.04 per cent higher at 97.89.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.14 per cent higher at USD 71.77 per barrel in futures trade.
Analysts attributed the strengthening dollar and crude prices to heightened tension between the US and Iran, with both countries signalling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear programme fizzle out.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex fell 150.35 points to 82,347.79 in early trade while the Nifty declined 35.15 points to 25,419.20.
On Thursday, foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 880.49 crore, according to exchange data.
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