During the toss proceedings, Sanjay Manjrekar, the host, amusedly relayed to Sanju Samson, the Rajasthan Royals skipper, about a peculiar incident involving Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain, Shreyas Iyer.
In a rather unconventional move, Iyer had been seen kissing the coin before tossing it in the air. However, luck didn’t favor him this time as he lost the toss against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League match held at Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Despite the success of this new ritual in the previous game against Lucknow Super Giants, it didn’t yield the desired outcome against the table-topping Rajasthan Royals.
In the highly anticipated clash at Eden Gardens, the toss held significant importance for both teams, especially considering the high-scoring nature of matches witnessed at this venue in the past.
Sanjay Manjrekar, presiding over the toss proceedings, took the opportunity to share with Rajasthan Royals skipper, Sanju Samson, an amusing incident involving Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain, Shreyas Iyer, and his peculiar coin-kissing ritual. The revelation seemed to surprise Samson, adding a light-hearted moment to the tension of the match.
Meanwhile, Manjrekar also queried Iyer about this unique practice, to which the KKR skipper responded humorously, stating, “It was a flying kiss.”
Having won the toss, Samson opted to field first at Eden Gardens, a decision influenced by the venue’s reputation for favoring chasing teams. He also disclosed that key players Jos Buttler and Ravichandran Ashwin, absent in the previous match, were available for the clash at Eden Gardens.
“We would like to bowl first. Might be better to chase on this. Very much excited to be back in Eden Gardens, there’s a great vibe in the stadium. Jos and Ash are available for this game, so they are coming back,” Samson announced confidently during the toss, setting the stage for an exciting encounter.
Jos Buttler, along with three foreign players in the starting XI, was strategically classified as an Impact Substitute for the Rajasthan Royals, suggesting that he would be used in the second innings to strengthen the team’s batting order.
However, captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Shreyas Iyer, stated that he would rather bowl first when playing at home and emphasized the outstanding season-long ball-handling skills of veteran all-rounder Sunil Narine. “Given how the ball traveled in the previous game, I would have loved to bowl as well.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Philip Salt(w), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Vaibhav Arora
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Jos Buttler, Kohler-Cadmore, Shubham Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Nandre Burger
As both teams prepared to take the field, the stage was set for an intriguing encounter, with key players and tactical decisions poised to play pivotal roles in the match outcome.
Rajasthan Royals captain, Sanju Samson, won the toss and opted to field first against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League encounter on Tuesday. Opener Jos Buttler and star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who have recovered from their injuries, are set to make a return to the field.
While Ashwin is included in the playing eleven, Buttler has been listed among the impact substitute options. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders have decided to stick with the same playing XI from their previous match.
In a highly anticipated showdown at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens stadium, the top two teams of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), are set to clash. With both teams having suffered only a single defeat thus far in the season, the stakes are high as they vie for supremacy on the IPL leaderboard.
The encounter promises to be an intriguing battle, with Phil Salt’s recent stellar performance against Lucknow Super Giants adding to the firepower of Kolkata Knight Riders’ already formidable lineup. However, the Rajasthan Royals’ openers will need to elevate their performance to counter KKR’s potent bowling attack and clinch victory.
In the initial exchanges of the match, Phil Salt, Kolkata Knight Riders’ opener, received a reprieve when Riyan Parag missed a straightforward catch. However, Salt failed to capitalize on this opportunity and was subsequently dismissed by Avesh Khan, who took a brilliant catch off his own bowling.
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Following Salt’s dismissal, Angkrish Raghuvanshi took to the crease as the new batsman for Kolkata Knight Riders. Raghuvanshi made an immediate impact by striking three boundaries off Trent Boult’s bowling in a single over, adding valuable runs to KKR’s total.
At the end of the sixth over, Kolkata Knight Riders were positioned at 56/1, showcasing a promising start to their innings.
The opening partnership for Kolkata Knight Riders featured Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, while Trent Boult initiated the bowling attack for the Rajasthan Royals. Despite an early scare with Parag’s dropped catch, just two runs were conceded in the first over, setting a cautious tone for KKR’s innings.
Following the toss, Rajasthan Royals won and elected to field first. The playing XIs for both teams are as follows:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Philip Salt(w), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal
The pitch conditions appear favorable for batting, with a rock-hard surface and square boundaries measuring 59 meters and 71 meters, respectively. However, humidity and the possibility of dew later in the evening may impact gameplay, prompting captains to consider chasing the target. Additionally, the lightning-fast outfield may prompt bowlers to defend on the longer side of the boundary.
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