At the opening ceremony of the 18th Indian Premier League on Saturday, March 22, Virat Kohli,
The captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and an Ace Indian, grooved to the viral song Jhoome Jo Pathaan from the Bollywood blockbuster Pathaan with the film’s lead actor and the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Ahead of the IPL 2025 tournament start between KKR and RCB, respectively, the two titans of their respective industries got together and gave it their all at the event in Kolkata. After swaying to the song for a few seconds, the two also gave each other a warm embrace.
King Khan 🤝 King Kohli
When two kings meet, the stage is bound to be set on fire 😍#TATAIPL 2025 opening ceremony graced with Bollywood and Cricket Royalty 🔥#KKRvRCB | @iamsrk | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/9rQqWhlrmM
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2025
The IPL 2025 season will begin with a match between KKR and RCB at the former’s home ground. This is the second time the two teams have faced one other in an IPL opener; the first came on the debut edition of the prestigious T20 event in 2008, when the SRK-owned team completely crushed the match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru by a massive 140 runs.
Up to eighteen seasons have passed since then. Although KKR has won three titles, RCB has not yet made progress in that area. IPL 2024 was won by KKR, who defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the championship match to cap off an incredible campaign. With a strong second half of the season, RCB overtook the Chennai Super Kings to finish in fourth position. But in the Eliminator, they were unsuccessful.
Ajinkya Rahane and Rajat Patidar are leading the two sides. Rahane will captain KKR for the first time, while Patidar will head RCB for the first time. Rahane, who was let go following the 2022 season, will be playing in his second season with RCB, whereas Patidar has played for the team for three seasons.