In an important IPL 2025 RR vs KKR game at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chose to bat first after winning the toss against Rajasthan Royals (RR). The match is of much importance for KKR, who have a marginal chance of qualifying for the playoffs, whereas RR are already eliminated.
Toss Update: KKR Choose to Bat
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane, who had injured his finger during the previous match, was fit and captained the team. While speaking at the toss, Rahane said that the Eden Gardens pitch appeared dry and could slow down in the second half of the game, prompting the choice of batting first.
Conversely, RR stand-in skipper Riyan Parag said he was happy to lose the toss, conceding he wasn’t certain what to do if he had won.
KKR Team News: Moeen Ali and Ramandeep In
Kolkata Knight Riders brought in two major changes to their XI:
Moeen Ali and Ramandeep Singh were included in the playing XI. Harshit Rana and Anukul Roy, who were part of the last game, were not chosen, although the latter is very likely to make an appearance as the Impact Player. Rovman Powell sacrificed to keep overseas players’ caps restricted to four.
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RR Team News: Hasaranga Resumes, Nitish Rana Misses Game
Rajasthan Royals, too, mixed up their unit:
Wanindu Hasaranga got back into the team after nursing a niggle. Nitish Rana was not available owing to a slight injury and was substituted by Kunal Rathore. Fazalhaq Farooqi was substituted by Yudhvir Singh to fulfill the overseas quota. Shubham Dubey will be utilized as the Impact Player.
Pitch Report and Ground Conditions
The Eden Gardens pitch is a brown, dry surface with patches that may help the spinners, but specialists such as Eoin Morgan indicate it may not get much worse. Short boundaries square of the wicket, particularly from the High Court End, may result in high scoring.
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Average 1st Innings Score at Eden Gardens (Since 2024): 200/6
RR vs KKR, Playing 11
Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
Sunil Narine
Ajinkya Rahane (capt)
Venkatesh Iyer
Rinku Singh
Angkrish Raghuvanshi
Andre Russell
Ramandeep Singh
Moeen Ali
Vaibhav Arora
Varun Chakravarthy
Impact Player Options: Manish Pandey, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia
Rajasthan Royals Playing XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Kunal Rathore
Riyan Parag (capt)
Dhruv Jurel (wk)
Shimron Hetmyer
Wanindu Hasaranga
Jofra Archer
Maheesh Theekshana
Yudhvir Singh
Akash Madhwal
Impact Player Options: Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kumar Kartikeya, Ashok Sharma, Kwena Maphaka
Final Thoughts
With RR already out and KKR hanging by a thread to playoff aspirations, the platform is set for a high-intensity encounter at Eden Gardens. The RR vs KKR, Playing 11 picks are based on strategic decision-making, particularly with conditions tilting in favor of spinners and power-hitters as well.
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