New Delhi, Apr 29 (UNI) Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel won the toss and elected to bowl first against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 48th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, being played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

Axar said the decision was influenced by the expected dew factor. "We will field first, becomes easier to bat in the second innings because of the dew," he said at the toss. Delhi are fielding an unchanged eleven.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane confirmed one change in the KKR lineup, with Anukul Roy replacing Vaibhav Arora. "It’s hard to read this wicket. I thought the left-arm spinner will be a good option on this surface," said Rahane, who also stressed the need to approach each of the remaining games with clarity and intent. "We need to win five out of five. We’re looking to play one game at a time."

With both teams having different stakes on the line, the match promises to be a crucial one. While Delhi, who have been consistent this season, aim to strengthen their place in the top four, KKR are in a desperate situation, needing a near-perfect run in their remaining matches to stay alive in the playoff race.

Playing XIs:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy

Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel (wk), Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mukesh Kumar

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