Watch: Rinku Singh, Andre Russell made to look like clueless schoolboys as RCB bowlers shatter their stumps

The explosive batters of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - Rinku Singh and Andre Russell - failed to perform well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 opening match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Both Rinku Singh and Andre Russell looked clueless against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) spinners at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, March 22.

Also Read: IPL Points Table 2025: Orange Cap, Purple Cap List After KKR vs RCB, Match 1

Rinku Singh and Andre Russell register low scores

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost the toss and they were invited to bat first in the match. Opening batsman Quinton de Kock got out in the first very over of the innings, but captain Ajinkya Rahane joined forces with Sunil Narine to stabilize the innings.

They added 103 runs off 55 balls together, but once the duo got out, things went downhill for Kolkata Knight Riders. With the kind of strong middle order KKR have, many would have expected them to make the most of the start, but that didn't happen as they got restricted to 174/8 in their 20 overs.

Rinku Singh and Andre Russell, in particular, disappointed the Kolkata Knight Riders the most as despite possessing the great ability to play big shots in the end overs, they bagged low scores.

The Indian left-handed batter Rinku was dismissed by Krunal Pandya on the last ball of the 15th over and he finished with the score of 12 off 10. Krunal bowled a stump-to-stump delivery to Rinku that had no turn, and the batter went for a pull shot, only to miss it, and his stumps were rattled.

Andre Russell was dismissed in the very next over for 3-ball 4 by young spinner Suyash Sharma. On the 4th ball of the 16th over, Suyash bowled an 87kmph googly to the West Indies powerhouse that landed on the fourth stump and spun back sharply to rattle the stumps of Andre Russell.

Watch: Rinku Singh, Andre Russell Humiliated as RCB Bowlers Rip Their Stumps Apart!"

pic.twitter.com/eEatKnuELY

— kuchnahi123@12345678 (@kuchnahi1269083) March 22, 2025

𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴'𝘂𝗻 done 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 ⚡

Suyash Sharma gets the big one 😍#RCB bowlers continue to chip away at the wickets

Updates ▶ https://t.co/C9xIFpQDTn#TATAIPL | #KKRvRCB | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/rPqOIGCnYY

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025

Rinku is batting phenomenally - Ajinkya Rahane

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane attended the press conference after the match and backed Rinku despite his flop show. Rahane said that Rinku Singh has been batting phenomenally and they are thinking about promoting him in the batting order. He said:

"Rinku Singhis batting phenomenally. You are right about the debates of sending him up in the order and we are thinking about it. You will see him bat up. Today we thought, after we lost my and Venkatesh's wicket, that Angrkrish was better suited there."

While talking about the failure of the middle-order, Rahane said that they have dangerous and explosive batters, and supporting them is very important. He said:

"We have just played one game. The guys who are batting in the middle order, they are dangerous and explosive. They have played many matches like this. This is a long tournament, we need to back the players."

Meanwhile, the young KKR batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who scored 30 runs off 22 balls, spoke to the boardcateds during the mid-innings break and provided the details of the pitch used in the KKR vs RCB match. He said:

"They bowled pretty well in the second phase. Little two-paced and the slower ones made it difficult for us. Not so much for the spinners, but when the fast bowlers rolled their arms over, it was gripping. We have a really good bowling attack and we can pull it off."