Sunil Narine: Sunil Narine has been dropped from the playing eleven before the second match. Narine has been dropped from the team after 1628 days.

Sunil Narine: IPL 2025 has not started well for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). After losing to RCB in the first match, KKR has suffered another major setback. Their key player Sunil Narine has been dropped from the playing XI before the second match. Narine has been dropped from KKR's playing XI after 1628 days, which in itself is a big sign. The last time he was not part of the playing XI was in the match against RCB in 2020, and in that match too KKR had to face defeat.

Ajinkya Rahane gave the reason for Narine's ouster

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane revealed the reason for Sunil Narine's exclusion. He said that Narine is not well, and that is why he has been dropped from the playing eleven. Moeen Ali has been included in the team in place of Narine, who will play his role in this match.

Sunil Narine being out is a big setback

Sunil Narine's exclusion from KKR's playing XI is a big setback for the team. Narine not only bowls economically in the middle overs, but he also helps other bowlers to take wickets. Other bowlers get a chance to take wickets only when Narine creates pressure. Apart from this, he also bats explosively and has won many matches for KKR with his explosive batting. His exclusion can prove to be a significant drawback for the team, especially when the team is looking for its first win.

Playing XI of both the teams

Rajasthan Royals  (RR) Team: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (captain), Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Mahesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.

Kolkata Knight Riders  (KKR) Team: Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakraborty