Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have opted to bat first in their match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Eden Gardens. Pre-match concerns surrounded KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane’s participation following a finger injury in the previous game, but he is set to play. Rahane commented on the dry surface of the pitch, suggesting it may slow down later in the match.
In today’s changes, Moeen Ali and Ramandeep Singh have been included in the KKR line-up. With Harshit Rana and Anukul Roy having played in the last match, only one will feature as the Impact Player this time. Rovman Powell is excluded as KKR is already fielding their full quota of overseas players.
For RR, Sanju Samson remains sidelined, with Riyan Parag continuing as captain. Parag, expressing a degree of relief at losing the toss, admitted to being uncertain about the best decision. RR welcomes back Wanindu Hasaranga, missing the previous match due to minor fitness concerns. Nitish Rana is out for this game, replaced by Kunal Singh Rathore, and Fazalhaq Farooqi steps aside for Yudhvir Singh to maintain the overseas player balance. Shubham Dubey is anticipated to be introduced as the Impact Player.
Eden Gardens presents particular challenges with short and fine boundaries from the High Court End and a noticeable dry patch at the fuller lengths. Eoin Morgan, speaking about the pitch conditions, noted that while it appears consistent, significant break-up is unlikely. The average first-innings score here since 2024 has been 200 for 6.
RR’s chances in the tournament have ended, but KKR still have a faint opportunity to qualify for the playoffs.
Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI:
1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2. Sunil Narine, 3. Ajinkya Rahane (capt.), 4. Venkatesh Iyer, 5. Rinku Singh, 6. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 7. Andre Russell, 8. Ramandeep Singh, 9. Moeen Ali, 10. Vaibhav Arora, 11. Varun Chakravarthy
KKR Impact Player Options: Manish Pandey, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia
Rajasthan Royals Playing XI:
1. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 3. Kunal Rathore, 4. Riyan Parag (capt.), 5. Dhruv Jurel (wk), 6. Shimron Hetmyer, 7. Wanindu Hasaranga, 8. Jofra Archer, 9. Maheesh Theekshana, 10. Yudhvir Singh, 11. Akash Madhwal
RR Impact Player Options: Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kumar Kartikeya, Ashok Sharma, Kwena Maphaka
Keep up with the rest of the action as KKR look to keep their playoff aspirations alive against RR.
