Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
In match number 31 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) are taking on defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at their home in Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Tuesday, April 15. However, both teams are coming from contrasting results in their previous matches, they will be hoping to add another victory to their name in a mid-table clash.
Ahead of the match, as the two skippers walked out for toss, it was the host captain, Shreyas Iyer who came out on top. The middle-order batter elected to bat first, hoping to put up a competitive total on the board. “We are going to bat first. Feel the wicket has been really well for the last couple of matches, the dew comes in but the outfield doesn't skid through,” Iyer said.
Anrich Nortje replaces Moeen Ali in KKR’s Playing XI
Seeing a change in venue, the KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane also agreed to the decision as he clarified that the side would have opted to bowl first if they would have won the toss. “We were looking to bowl first on this wicket. For me, toss is something you cannot control. We have a batting that can chase the target,” he said.
Moreover, the veteran Indian batter also called for a change in the playing XI as he confirmed Moeen Ali missing out from the XI and Anrich Nortje coming in place of him. “Just one change. Nortje comes in for Moeen Ali. He has been working hard on his game and I am really looking forward to see him bowl tonight,” Rahane said.
PBKS vs KKR IPL 2025 Playing XI
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Josh Inglis, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Subs: Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey
