Kolkata Knight Riders Make Key Change for Crucial Match Against Delhi Capitals
On Tuesday, April 29, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) faced a must-win game against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Match 48 of IPL 2025 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. In a strategic move, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane revealed that Anukul Roy would be making his season debut, replacing Chetan Sakariya.
Sakariya had a challenging outing, playing only one match this season against Punjab Kings, where he gave away 39 runs in three overs. Roy, who was acquired for ₹40 lakh during the mega auction, will now have the opportunity to showcase his skills.
Captain’s Thoughts
At the toss, Rahane discussed Roy’s inclusion, emphasizing that the left-arm spinner could be effective on the Delhi pitch. “We have one change; Anukul Roy comes in. It’s tough to read the wicket, but I believe a left-arm spinner might be a good fit here. We need to win the next five matches, so we’ll take it one game at a time,” said Rahane.
KKR’s Playing XI
The Kolkata Knight Riders’ lineup for the match includes:
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper)
- Sunil Narine
- Ajinkya Rahane (captain)
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Rinku Singh
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi
- Andre Russell
- Rovman Powell
- Harshit Rana
- Anukul Roy
- Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Substitutes
KKR has also prepared some impact substitutes: Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Mayank Markande, Vaibhav Arora, and Ramandeep Singh.
Delhi Capitals Lineup
Delhi Capitals have their own strong squad, featuring:
- Faf du Plessis
- Abishek Porel (wicketkeeper)
- Karun Nair
- KL Rahul
- Axar Patel (captain)
- Tristan Stubbs
- Vipraj Nigam
- Mitchell Starc
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Dushmantha Chameera
- Mukesh Kumar
DC’s Bench Strength
Their impact substitutes include Ashutosh Sharma, Jake Fraser McGurk, Tripurana Vijay, Sameer Rizvi, and Donovan Ferreira.
As both teams prepare for this critical encounter, all eyes will be on the performances that could change the course of the tournament.
