KKR vs RR, IPL 2025, Match 53: Ajinkya Rahane Wins Toss & Opts To Bat First, Moeen Ali Returns For Kolkata; Rajasthan Make 3 Changes
Updates:
The toss at the Eden Gardens went in favour of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane, who opted to bat first in a crucial IPL 2025 clash against the Rajasthan Royals. Knight Riders have triggered two changes, bringing in Moeen Ali and Ramandeep Singh, while the Royals have triggered three changes to their XI.
KKR playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Moeen Ali, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora.
RR playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag(c), Kunal Singh Rathore, Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal
Preview:
The stakes are high for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as they face the Rajasthan Royals in a must-win encounter at the storied Eden Gardens on May 3, 2025, Sunday. While the Royals have nothing to lose, given they are out of playoff contention, they will still be looking for some invaluable gains ahead of the next edition.
The season has been far from ideal for the Royals and been a litany of what ifs, having lost three close games which should have gone their way. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been a massive silver lining for them and it will be interesting to see what lies ahead of him, having made more than a promising start to his career at 14 years of age.
Meanwhile, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders arrested their slide with a much-needed 14-run victory over the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Much like other teams, Kolkata have also struggled at home, losing thrice in IPL 2025. Hence, they will hope that returning to the Eden Gardens this time makes a difference.
KKR vs RR IPL 2025 squads:
KKR squad: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Chetan Sakariya.
RR squad: Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer, Wainindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Nitish Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Charak, Fazal Farooqi, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kwena Maphaka, Kunal Rathore, Ashok Sharma.
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