RR vs KKR, IPL 2025: Kolkata Knight Riders will not have their star all-rounder, Sunil Narine, for their second game in the IPL 2025. The defending champions will face Rajasthan Royals in this match, which is being held at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
Sunil Narine’s Absence for KKR: What’s the Reason?
KKR’s title defense has had a rough start. In their first game of the season, the team led by Ajinkya Rahane lost badly by seven wickets to Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens.
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Although captain Rahane scored a fantastic fifty in his debut as captain, he couldn’t lead the team to victory. KKR were 107/1 in the tenth over but couldn’t make the most of the good start, finishing with 174/8 in 20 overs.
In response, the Bengaluru team chased down the target in under 17 overs, losing only three wickets. Openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli set up an easy win by scoring fifties.
As KKR aims to get their first points this season, they will have to do so without Sunil Narine, who is considered their most important player. At the toss, KKR captain Rahane announced that Narine was missing the match due to illness. With Narine unavailable, KKR has given a debut to veteran all-rounder Moeen Ali.
Bengaluru chased down the target in just 17 overs, losing only three wickets, with openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli scoring fifties.
KKR’s Strategy for Today’s Match: Rahane’s Thoughts at the Toss
KKR will play without Sunil Narine, their key player, as he’s unwell. Captain Rahane announced this at the toss and revealed that Moeen Ali will make his debut in Narine’s place.
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“We’ll look to bowl first. The wicket looks good. If we bowl first, we’ll get an idea of how this wicket is. The dew factor is huge here. It’s about staying positive, this format is all about being fearless, playing with intent,” said Rahane after winning the toss.
“We played very good cricket. T20 is all about giving your best each and every day. We are looking forward to this game. We learnt a lot from the last game, and we want to stay in the moment. I don’t look at the stars that much; for me, it’s all about contributing. Sunil Narine misses out, he’s not well. Moeen Ali comes in,” he added.
Missing Narine is a big loss for KKR. He impressed in the last game with a quick 44 runs and an economical spell, taking 1 wicket for just 27 runs in 4 overs.
KKR will hope he recovers soon. Narine was named MVP last season after helping KKR win their third IPL title, scoring 488 runs and taking 17 wickets in 15 games.
RR vs KKR: Impact Substitutes and Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI -Quinton de Kock (w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson/Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakaravarthy
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka.
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