Kolkata, May 4 (UNI) Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bat first against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL encounter here on Sunday, citing a dry surface that may deteriorate later.
"We are going to bat first, looks a little dry,” Rahane said at the toss. “Not sure if it slows down in the second innings. We want to put a total on the board and defend it. Need to keep it simple. It's all about taking one game at a time. Everyone's contribution was good in the last game. Need to assess the conditions and adapt quickly,” he added.
Rahane, who has found form after a stint in domestic cricket, said he is "trying to enjoy the game" and revealed that Moeen Ali and Ramandeep Singh return to the playing XI.
Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag, who admitted he was initially unsure at the toss, said his team would play for pride and was looking for a collective performance.
“I was happy that I lost the toss, wasn’t sure,” Parag said. “It’s very challenging, you’ve got to be professional on the field. A lot of work goes into it. Need to play for our pride, bring more energy onto the field. We are hoping to put in a collective effort.”
Rajasthan made three changes to their side, with Nitish Rana sitting out due to a niggle. Kunal Rathore and Yudhvir Singh come in, while Wanindu Hasaranga replaces Kumar Kartikeya.
Teams:
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag(c), Kunal Singh Rathore, Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Moeen Ali, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Kumar Kartikeya, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Manish Pandey, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia
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