IPL 2025: Moeen Ali Steps in for Ill Narine as KKR Chooses to Bowl First Against RR
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Synopsis
In IPL 2025, Moeen Ali replaces Sunil Narine for KKR as they bowl first against RR. KKR and RR seek redemption after losses in their opening matches. Captains Rahane and Parag share insights on the match strategy and player changes.
Key Takeaways
- Moeen Ali replaces Sunil Narine for KKR.
- Ajinkya Rahane opted to bowl first after winning the toss.
- Both teams aim to bounce back from opening match losses.
- Riyan Parag leads RR with a change in their bowling lineup.
- The dew factor is crucial in the match strategy.
Guwahati, March 26 (NationPress) Veteran all-rounder Moeen Ali joins the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) starting lineup as captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals in Match 6 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Both KKR, the defending champions, and RR enter this match after facing defeats in their respective opening encounters of the tournament. Moeen, the former England off-spin bowling all-rounder, replaces Sunil Narine, who is unwell and unavailable for this match.
“The wicket looks really good. If we bowl first, we'll get an idea of how this wicket is. The dew factor is significant here. It's all about staying positive; this format requires fearlessness and intent,” said Rahane.
“We played very good cricket. T20 is about giving your best every day. We are looking forward to this game. We learned a lot from our previous match. It's crucial to remain present in the moment; for me, it's all about contributing,” added Rahane following the toss.
Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag received a warm welcome from his home crowd and expressed gratitude for the support. He noted that RR has made one change as well, with leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga coming in for left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi. “I feel very proud and humbled to be leading RR. The middle-order performed excellently, and we had numerous positives with the ball,” stated Parag.
Playing XIs:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Substitutes: Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, and Luvnith Sisodia
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (captain), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, and Sandeep Sharma
Impact Substitutes: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, and Kwena Maphaka
