The Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Rajasthan Royals in their first match of the season. Both teams will be eager to secure their first win, with KKR coming off a defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore and RR having lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous outing.
KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane emphasized the importance of bowling first, citing the dew factor as a crucial element in the game. “The wicket looks good, and the dew factor is huge here. It’s about staying positive and playing fearlessly,” he said at the toss. The team will be without Sunil Narine, who is unwell, with England all-rounder Moeen Ali coming into the side. Moeen was handed his KKR cap by Dwayne Bravo ahead of the match.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag expressed pride in leading the side and acknowledged the team’s strong middle order. The Royals made one change to their lineup, bringing in Wanindu Hasaranga in place of Fazalhaq Farooqi.
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.
Sanju Samson will continue to play as an impact player in the first few matches as he is still recovering from him injury. Riyan Parag will continue to lead the side in Sanju’s absence.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI):
Quinton de Kock(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
