Krunal Pandya tops IPL 2025 wicket-taking leaderboard

Krunal Pandya is leading the Purple Cap race after a great performance in the IPL 2025 opener. His team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), beat the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), by 7 wickets at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. RCB had a shaky start but turned things around, limiting KKR to a low score. Krunal was crucial for RCB, taking important wickets at key moments. He dismissed Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 56 runs, and Venkatesh Iyer for just six runs, swinging the momentum in RCB's favor. Josh Hazlewood also played well for RCB. He took a wicket early by dismissing Quinton de Kock and kept the pressure on KKR throughout the match. Despite their loss, KKR can still find hope in Sunil Narine's performance. The spinner only gave away 27 runs in his four overs and took the wicket of Devdutt Padikkal. Virat Kohli ended the game unbeaten on 59 runs, leading RCB to victory. Meanwhile, Varun Chakaravarthy struggled for KKR, conceding 43 runs but managed to take the wicket of Phil Salt. KKR will look to improve in their next game after a tough start to the season.