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Johnson Replaces Moeen Ali As Ajinkya Rahane's KKR Invite Rishabh Pant's LSG To Bat First

Sakshi Sharma

KKR vs LSG Toss (Source:@IPL,X.COM)KKR vs LSG Toss (Source:@IPL,X.COM)

The highly anticipated IPL 2025 match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will be played at the conic Eden Gardens on April 8, 2025. KKR captain, Ajinkya Rahane, won the toss and opted to bowl first, hoping to make the most of the conditions at Kolkata. 

Talking about the changes, KKR have made two changes;  Vaibhav Arora and Spencer Johnson come in for Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Moeen Ali. Meanwhile, LSG have made no change in their playing XI.

Toss Update: Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and opted to bowl first

Both teams come into this match with identical records, each having won two and lost two of their first four games. KKR, currently sitting in 5th position in the points table, will be looking to build momentum after a strong start to the season. Meanwhile, LSG, just behind them in 6th place, will be hoping to bounce back after a slightly inconsistent run.

KKR vs LSG: Captains' Thought

Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders Captain): "We are going to bowl first. The wicket looks very good. The temperature is not that hot here in Kolkata. One side of the ground has a slightly shorter boundary and hence, we are bowling first. We want to take one step at a time. People are going to talk about whether the batters are doing well or not. We can't do anything about it. Spencer Johnson comes in for Moeen Ali. That is the only change for us."

Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants Captain): "I wouldn't say we are very happy with the start but the season is already set-up. We will work on the negatives and move on. Winning the game as a team is the most happiest team as a captain. We are playing the same XI."

KKR vs LSG: Playing XIs

Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c and wk), David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy