IPL 2025: Punjab Kings win toss; opt to bat first against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders

ANI April 26, 2025 271 views

Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL 2025 encounter. KKR, struggling at seventh place, need a strong finish to keep playoff hopes alive. Iyer cited pitch conditions as the reason for batting first, while KKR captain Rahane emphasized improving their batting performance. Both teams made strategic changes to their lineups for this crucial match at Eden Gardens.

"We are batting first. Since we are playing on the same wicket they played on. Can see a few cracks, will get an idea on how it's playing." – Shreyas Iyer
Kolkata, April 26: Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first against the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.

Key Points

1

PBKS elect to bat first on a tricky Eden Gardens pitch

2

KKR must win 5 of last 6 matches for playoff hopes

3

Punjab aims for 3 more wins to secure top-four spot

4

Both teams make key changes to playing XIs

The host, Kolkata, is currently placed seventh on the points table with only three wins from eight matches, while Punjab sits firmly in fifth place with five wins out of eight games.

KKR requires five victories in their final six matches to have a chance at qualifying for the top four. For PBKS, achieving three wins in their remaining six games would be sufficient for Iyer's Punjab.

"We are batting first. Since we are playing on the same wicket they played on. Can see a few cracks, will get an idea on how its playing. It's always been great to play in front of this crowd. Another day to come here and embrace. We have been getting brilliant starts. We are talking about a few situations, we need to play to our best ability and believe in ourselves. I want the bowlers to take wickets; it changes the momentum. The more wickets we take in the powerplay, gives a chance to the other bowlers. Maxwell and Omarzai come in," Shreyas Iyer said.

At the time of toss, Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane said, " It's all about playing good cricket, need to chase down whatever the target is. Our bowlers have been bowling really well. They have improved a lot. The boys have disappointed with the bat, but need to be brave in this format. Our batting unit needs to do well in this game. We have been playing good cricket in patches. It's all about living in the moment and being positive. Powell comes in, Moeen and Sakariya come in for Ramandeep."

Teams:

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Punjab Kings Impact Subs: Harpreet Brar, Musheer Khan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Suryansh Shedge, Praveen Dube.

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Anrich Nortje, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Interesting decision to bat first! The pitch does look a bit tricky with those cracks. Hope PBKS openers can give them a solid start today. 🤞 #IPL2025
P
Priya M.
KKR really need to step up their batting today. Their bowling has been decent but the batsmen keep letting them down. Hope Powell makes an impact!
A
Amit S.
Not sure about PBKS' team selection today. Playing both Maxwell and Omarzai seems risky when they could use an extra bowler. Hope the gamble pays off!
S
Sanjana R.
So excited to see Yuzi Chahal bowl at Eden Gardens! His battle against Russell and Rinku will be 🔥. PBKS has a strong spin attack today.
V
Vikram J.
Respectful criticism: KKR's constant changes in batting order are confusing. Players need defined roles to perform consistently. Hope Rahane sticks to a proper plan today.
N
Neha P.
Eden Gardens crowd is always electric! No matter who wins, we're in for a great match. Just hoping for some big sixes from Russell today 💥

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Tags:
IPL 2025 PBKS vs KKR Shreyas Iyer Ajinkya Rahane Eden Gardens Toss update
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