Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are set to take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 21 of IPL 2025 at the iconic Eden Gardens on Tuesday, April 8. Before the start of the much-awaited clash, both Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants announced their impact players and playing XIs.
The match between KKR and LSG was scheduled for Sunday, April 6, but was rescheduled due to security concerns related to the Ram Navami festivities in the region. Both teams are in the middle of the points table with four points each. However, the Knight Riders have a superior net run rate (NRR).
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and chose to bowl first. The home team made one change to their lineup. Left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson came in place of Moeen Ali. Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants have stuck with the same playing XI from their previous match.
That’s Why We Are Bowling First – Ajinkya Rahane Reveals Toss Strategy
Ajinkya Rahane stated the short boundary on one side as a key factor in the decision. He acknowledged the criticism around Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine but expressed confidence in his team’s approach.
“We are going to bowl first. The wicket looks really good, it’s not that hot. The wicket won’t change much. One side boundary is small, that’s why we are bowling first. Everyone is looking forward to this game,” Rahane said.
“This game is all about starting fresh, need to take the positives, need to take one step at a time. People are going to talk about it, we know Quinny and Sunil are match-winners. We are not worried about them. Spencer comes in place of Moeen,” he added.
Rishabh Pant admitted he wasn’t entirely satisfied with the toss outcome. He said that their recent wins make him happy as captain.
“Wouldn’t say very happy. Not thinking about the past too much. Will take the positives and move forward. As a team we are winning and as a captain I am happy. We are playing with the same playing XI,” Pant said.
IPL 2025: List of Impact players nominated by KKR and LSG
Lucknow Super Giants are expected to bring in Ravi Bishnoi, while Kolkata Knight Riders are likely to include Raghuvanshi during their second innings.
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia
Lucknow Super Giants Impact Subs: Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahamad, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh.
IPL 2025: KKR and LSG Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi
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