Kolkata Knight Riders will be without their star all-rounder Sunil Narine for their second game of the ongoing IPL 2025. The defending champions are locking horns against the Rajasthan Royals in their second match. The match is being played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
KKR have started their title defence on a shaky note. In their first game of the season, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side suffered a crushing seven-wicket loss at the hands of Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens.
While captain Rahane scored a brilliant fifty on his captaincy debut, he could not lead the team to a win. KKR were 107/1 in the tenth over but failed to capitalise on the situation and eventually finished on 174/8 in 20 overs.
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In reply, the Bengaluru-based outfit chased down the total inside 17 overs by losing only three wickets. Openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli laid the foundation for the easy chase by hitting fifties.
Sunil Narine unavailable for RR vs KKR game:
As KKR look to open their account this season, they will have to do it without Sunil Narine, arguably their most important player. Speaking at the toss, KKR captain Rahane revealed the news and also disclosed the reason behind the star player’s absence.
Rahane stated that Sunil Narine missed the match because he was unwell. With the West Indies star unavailable, KKR have handed a debut to veteran all-rounder Moeen Ali.
Ajinkya Rahane confirms Narine’s replacement
We’ll look to bowl first. The wicket looks good. If we bowl first, we’ll get an idea of how this wicket is. The dew factor is huge here. It’s about staying positive, this format is all about being fearless, playing with intent,” said Rahane after winning the toss.
“We played very good cricket. T20 is all about giving your best each and every day. We are looking forward to this game. We learnt a lot from the last game, and we want to stay in the moment. I don’t look at the stars that much; for me, it’s all about contributing. Sunil Narine misses out, he’s not well. Moeen Ali comes in,” he added.
Narine will miss the 1st match of IPL since 2021
Missing Narine would be a huge blow for KKR. Sunil had impressed with both bat and ball in the last game. He gave KKR a solid start by smashing a quickfire 44, and he also bowled an economical spell, conceding only 27 runs in his 4 overs while also taking a wicket.
KKR would be hoping that Narine recovers soon and returns to action. The star all-rounder had clinched the Most Valuable Player of the Season award last year after helping KKR win their third IPL title. He was KKR’s highest run-scorer, scoring 488 runs in 15 games, including a century. With the ball, he had picked up 17 wickets as well.
