Jofra Archer to Narine, no run, good length ball at the stumps,
0.1
Jofra Archer to Gurbaz, 1 run, to mid-off
Gurbaz and Narine are at the crease. Gurbaz is on strike. Jofra Archer will open the attack
Shane Bond, the RR bowling coach, rings the bell at Eden Gardens. The umpires make their way out to the middle. Plenty of purple and gold flags waving around the ground.
Here are the Impact substitutes for both the teams:
Riyan Parag: I was happy that I lost the toss, wasn't sure.
Ajinkya Rahane: We are going to bat first, looks a little dry. Not sure if it slows down in the second innings. We want to put a total on the board and defend it. Need to keep it simple.
Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and have opted to bat
Right then, it's toss time..
Pitch and Conditions: "We are at the iconic Eden Gardens where KKR are taking on RR. It is an important game especially for KKR. The dimensions - 66 meters on one side, 60 on the other and 74 down the ground. Visually what you look at is the dry area here (points to a spot), there is a covering of grass but all the grass is dead. There is no grass on these dry areas. The one challenge for the groundstaff would have been to keep moisture on this surface for as long as you can. Even though aesthetically it looks dry and really dark, it doesn't look like it is going to break up, still sticking together quite well. Sometimes at the Eden Gardens you can get the jigsaw puzzle type of wicket where the surface seems to come out of the ground, I don't think it is going to do that massively. I really think it is good to bat on otherwise. In the first half it might slow down a bit, might help the spinners, but since the sunsets are early here, you would want to chase as batting might get easier," read Deep Dasgupta and Eoin Morgan.
Moeen Ali: We know what we have to do, we need to win all our games. It's a big game today. They are a really good side and they have some brilliant players. We are looking forward to it. He (Rahane) is good, but he will hide somewhere in the field (due to the injury), that means I will be somewhere in the hotspot today. You need to keep yourself on the top of your game and need to keep practising well. They told me at the start that I will play certain games, depending on the wickets. You have to take it in your stride and try to be as professional as you can. When are left-handers in the opposition you have more chances of playing as an off-spinner. We have two of the best T20 spinners with us, so difficult to break into that side. They (Jaiswal and Suryavanshi) are talented young players, so it's going to be challenge for us. We also have some world class players in our side, so we are ready for it.
Both these teams have played some mediocre cricket throughout the season, hence they haven’t been able to instil any confidence or excitement amongst their fans. The other teams have played far better cricket as their batting and bowling has clicked together. That hasn’t been the case with KKR and RR though. Young Vaibhav Suryavanshi played a rollicking knock against the Titans where he scored a century, but he was dismissed for a duck against MI. Will he be able to bounce back today? We shall find out soon. Toss and teams are not far away, stay tuned.
14:30 Local Time, 09:00 GMT, 14:30 IST: It’s a Sunday and we have a double-header coming our way. The defending champions - Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns with Rajasthan Royals in the afternoon clash at the Eden Gardens - a venue that hasn’t suited KKR’s bowlers this season. After last night’s thriller where the Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Chennai Super Kings, there is only playoff spot left to fight for. RCB, MI and GT are almost through to the playoffs unless there’s a dramatic turnaround, but the fourth playoff spot remains in contention. PBKS, LSG, DC and KKR are fighting for the same. KKR’s chances are very less, but they can probably make it through, it they win their next four games. They need to take one game at a point though, hence their focus should be winning today’s match against the Rajasthan Royals.
Preview
Home hasn't necessarily been where the heart has been for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025. From disagreements with the curator, struggles with reading the conditions and some patchy form, Kolkata's home record has been erratic. The reigning champions won five out of their seven home games last season, but this time around they have already lost thrice at Eden Gardens, and earned one point in a rain-enforced no result game against Punjab Kings.
However, their fate in the tournament rests on how they go about at home in the next two games - against two knocked out sides in RR and CSK. Sunil Narine turned back the clock as KKR picked up a crucial win against Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in their previous game, and returned home with renewed vigour.
Rajasthan Royals meanwhile, have blow hot and cold in a largely forgetable campaign, even with having a 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi scoring a scintillating century. Their inability to finish off close games against Delhi and Lucknow has been their major undoing in a spluttering first season for Rahul Dravid on his return to franchise coaching. Now, they have pride to play for and a chance to ruin the party for a few other playoffs aspirants.
When: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, May 4, 2025, 3:30 PM IST
Where: Eden Gardens Stadium, Kolkata
What to expect: A slightly cloudy afternoon seems to be on the horizon, but the probability of rain is really low. The par score has been around 200 at the Eden Gardens, with the only previous afternoon game of this season being a run-fest where more than 500 runs were scored cumulatively. Expect another good batting surface that isn't going to offer much turn.
Head to Head: KKR 15 - 14 RR. Not a lot to separate these two sides in the IPL. This year, KKR were comprehensive winners when they played RR in Guwahati. Last season, a Jos Buttler century gave RR a one-wicket win over KKR at the Eden Gardens.
Team News:
Kolkata Knight Riders
Injuries/Unavailability: No fresh injuries have been reported since their last game against Delhi Capitals.
Tactics & Matchups: KKR have two match-upbreakers to use at the top of the order. Quinton de Kock has not featured in the last few games after a poor start to the season but he has great numbers against Jofra Archer (128 runs off 60 balls). Gurbaz meanwhile, has gone hammer and tongs against another one of RR's PowerPlay operators - Maheesh Theekshana (75 runs off 44 balls).
Injuries/Unavailability: Sanju Samson is near full fitness again, but might not be risked with RR already out of the race for the playoffs. The Royals will also be without Sandeep Sharma, who has been ruled out for the season with a finger injury.
Tactics & Matchups:Though Gurbaz has had the measure of him, Theekshana could yet be RR's PP trumpcard in Kolkata. The Sri Lankan spinner has dismissed Sunil Narine twice in just eight deliveries bowled to the West Indian in all T20s. Taking him out early will go a long way in blunting KKR.
- In the last 24 matches in Eden Gardens, teams defending and chasing a target have won 12 times each. In the last eight afternoon fixtures at the venue, the chasing team has won six times.
- KKR lost only two of the seven home games last season. In this year, they've lost 3 out of 5.
- In the PowerPlay, RR have the best run-rate (10.75), the best boundary percentage (28.96) and have hit the most number of sixes (47)
Kolkata Knight Riders
Rajasthan Royals
