3 player battles to watch out for in RCB vs KKR, Match 58 of IPL 2025 ft. Virat Kohli

The 58th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will see the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) square off against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host the contest on Saturday, May 17.

RCB are just one win away from confirming their place in the playoffs. They currently sit second in the table with 16 points from 11 games, including eight wins and three defeats.

KKR, on the other hand, find themselves in the middle of the standings (sixth). They have won five and lost six out of 12 matches, while one game was washed out. The Knight Riders lost their previous match against the Chennai Super Kings, which has put their chance of finishing inside the top four in jeopardy. The reigning champions will have to win all their remaining games and depend on others' results for a playoff berth.

Both teams have several in-form players on their rosters, making head-to-head battles exciting. On that note, we look at three interesting player battles to watch out for.

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3 player battles to watch out for in RCB vs KKR, Match 58 of IPL 2025

#1 Virat Kohli vs Harshit Rana

This will be Virat Kohli's first outing after announcing his Test retirement earlier this week. The ace RCB batter has had a great tournament so far and will look to continue the momentum, setting the tone for the team in the powerplay.

However, Kohli might be challenged by KKR's new ball bowler, Harshit Rana. The young pacer has dismissed Kohli once in 24 deliveries while conceding 33 runs in T20s. With both players looking to put their team on top, seeing how Harshit goes about his business against an in-form Kohli will be enticing.

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#2 Ajinkya Rahane vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The senior KKR batter has led the team from the front, scoring the most runs at the top. Ajinkya Rahane has amassed 375 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 146.48, including three half-centuries.

With Kolkata desperate for a win, Rahane will look to put his side on top with another swashbuckling knock. However, he will have to overcome the Bhuvneshwar Kumar challenge inside the powerplay. The KKR skipper has struggled against the veteran pacer, scoring just 104 runs in 117 balls while getting out seven times in T20s.

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#3 Rajat Patidar vs Varun Chakravarthy

The RCB skipper has one of the best strike rates during the middle phase of the game. His ability to dispatch bowlers for fun makes him a threat to opposition sides. Despite his indifferent form in recent times, Rajat Patidar will be a force to reckon with.

Thus, his duel with KKR's Varun Chakravarthy will possibly make or break the game. Patidar strikes at a rate of 100 against the mystery spinner, scoring run-a-ball 12 and getting out once in T20s.