Double blow to KKR ahead of RCB clash, two star overseas players likely to be unavailable for remainder of IPL 2025

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be without the services of England all-rounder Moeen Ali and former West Indies T20I captain Rovman Powell for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Sports Tak has learnt that both Ali and Powell may not come back to India due to medical reasons.

On May 15, all KKR players and support staff arrived in Bengaluru for their must-win clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 17.

"Rovman is undergoing a procedure, while Moeen and his family are down with a viral infection," a source told Sports Tak.

IPL tweaks rule to replace unavailable foreign players

The one-week suspension of the IPL 2025 has led to several players being unavailable for the rest of the tournament due to national commitments, injury or personal reasons. The IPL has allowed for temporary replacements this season. The players picked during this period will have to register for the next year's auction.

"Given the non-availability of certain foreign players due to national commitments or personal reasons or any injury or illness, Temporary Replacement Players will be allowed until the conclusion of this tournament," the release said.

"This decision is subject to the condition that the Temporary Replacement players taken from this point forward will not be eligible for retention in the following year. Temporary Replacement players will have to register for the IPL Player Auction 2026."

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KKR's remaining games

The Ajinkya Rahane-led KKR are currently placed sixth on the points table with 11 points from 12 games. They need to win their remaining two games to stay alive in playoffs race. Even if they win the games by good margin, their qualification will depend on the outcome of other matches.

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For RCB clash, it is too late for KKR to find replacements for Moeen and Powell. Currently, the available overseas players are Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson.

Their last league match is against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 25 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.