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Journalism of Courage
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is just a day away and fans are at fever pitch. As always, the tournament promises thrilling cricket, electrifying performances at the opening ceremony, and, of course, a fresh wave of memes. The season opener on March 22 will see Kolkata Knight Riders take on Royal Challengers Bangalore, but even before the first ball is bowled, the match is already making waves online—thanks to an unexpected reason.
The buzz began when IPL’s official broadcaster, Star Sports, released a promotional poster featuring KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan face-to-face with RCB’s Virat Kohli, with the tagline: “Badshah vs King”. While meant to build hype, the comparison left many fans puzzled, and social media wasted no time in poking fun at it.
https://twitter.com/mufaddal_vohra/status/1902335915118490060
Comedian Danish Sait led the charge saying: “Wow, I didn’t know Shah Rukh Khan plays cricket.”
https://twitter.com/DanishSait/status/1902352806507639159
Another user wrote, “I didn’t know Shahrukh was playing for KKR this season.”
https://twitter.com/internetumpire/status/1902315694349603255
The jokes kept rolling in, with one person saying, “So, SRK is gonna open for KKR? Matlab TRP ke liye kuch bhi.”
https://twitter.com/LavdeepSin33355/status/1902330631331135883
Another wrote, “SRK and Kohli facing off? Even the umpires might forget the rules!”
https://twitter.com/dwiteschute/status/1902328787238580374
Another X user said, “What are you going to compare his box office collections to the hundreds?”
https://twitter.com/TheGreyFlag/status/1902331099763659109
While the poster might not have landed as intended, one thing is certain—IPL 2025 has already set social media on fire.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) share a historic connection in the IPL, having played the very first match of the tournament in 2008. Now, 17 years later, they are set to clash once again in the season opener for the first time since that inaugural game. Their rivalry, often dubbed “El Primero” of the IPL, has been a long-standing one.
Over the years, the two teams have faced off 34 times, with KKR holding the upper hand with 21 victories. In terms of silverware, Kolkata has secured the IPL trophy three times, whereas RCB is still chasing its elusive first title.
