During the Indian Premier League 2025 opening ceremony at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, an incident involving Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) Rinku Singh and Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) Virat Kohli caught fans' attention. As Bollywood superstar and KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan invited both players on stage, Rinku shook hands with Shah Rukh but appeared to walk past Kohli, who had extended his hand for a handshake. ​

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Also Read: IPL 2025: Rahane calls for spin-friendly pitch at Eden Gardens after KKR’s loss to RCB

This moment sparked discussions on social media, with fans debating whether Rinku intentionally ignored Kohli or simply missed the gesture. Despite this, the ceremony continued with both players participating in light-hearted activities, including dancing to popular Bollywood tracks alongside Shah Rukh Khan. ​

See the video here: 

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Interestingly, Rinku and Kohli share a good rapport. Last year, Kohli even gifted one of his bats to Rinku. Therefore, the incident is likely to be a simple misunderstanding rather than a deliberate snub.

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Hazlewood sets tone for RCB

Josh Hazlewood set the tone for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their IPL 2025 opener with a commanding bowling display that put Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on the defensive. Leading RCB’s pace attack, he struck in the first and final overs, finishing with impressive figures of 2/22.

Beyond just taking wickets—dismissing Quinton de Kock early and Harshit Rana at the death—Hazlewood’s precision in line and length made the real difference. He delivered 16 dot balls, maintained a remarkable economy rate of 5.50, and stood out as the best fast bowler of the match. His success stemmed from disciplined bowling, focusing on short and short-of-good-length deliveries while rarely pitching it up.

After the match, Hazlewood explained that his strategy was dictated by the conditions. With the pitch under covers for nearly two days, he anticipated moisture in the surface, which played to his strengths. His approach ensured KKR struggled early, managing just nine runs in the first three overs.

"It was more based on pitch and conditions," Hazlewood said in the post-match press conference, as quoted saying to ESPNcricinfo.

(With inputs from agencies)