Ajinkya Rahane wins toss, opts to bat first in IPL 2025 clash between KKR and RR

KKR made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in Moeen Ali and Ramandeep Singh, while Rajasthan Royals made three alterations. Nitish Rana, dealing with a niggle, along with Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kumar Kartikeya, have been replaced by Kunal Rathore, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Yudhvir Singh.

Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane has won the toss and elected to bat first against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2025 clash at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

KKR made two changes in their playing 11 with Moeen Ali and Ramandeep Singh coming in, while Rajasthan also made three changes. Nitish Rana, who has a niggle, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kumar Kartikeya are replaced by Kunal Rathore, Wanindu Hasaranga and Yudhvir Singh.

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“We are going to bat first, looks a little dry. Not sure if it slows down in the second innings. We want to put a total on the board and defend it. Need to keep it simple. It’s all about taking one game at a time. Everyone’s contribution was good in the last game. Need to assess the conditions and adapt to it quickly. I am working really hard on my game, playing domestic cricket has helped me a lot. Trying to enjoy my game. Moeen and Ramandeep are back in the side,” Rahane said at the toss.

Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag said, “I was happy that I lost the toss, wasn’t sure. It’s very challenging, you got to be profession on the field. A lot of work goes into it. Need to play for our pride. Need to bring more energy into the field. We are hoping to put a collective effort. Three changes in our team. Nitish Rana has a niggle, he goes out. Hasaranga comes back for Kumar Kartikeya. Kunal Rathore and Yudhvir are in.”

Playing XIs-

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Moeen Ali, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora.

Impact Substitutes: Manish Pandey, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia.

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Yudhvir Singh, Akash Madhwal.

Impact Substitutes: Kumar Kartikeya, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma.