Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bat first at Eden Gardens, Kolkata against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Rahane made two changes to the lineup. Overseas all-rounder Moeen Ali and Ramandeep Singh have maed their way back into the side.
"We are going to bat first, looks a little dry. 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 to it quickly. I am working really hard on my game, playing domestic has helped me a lot. Trying to enjoy my game. Moeen and Ramandeep are back in the side," Rahane said after winning the toss.
RR captain Riyan Parag admitted he was confused at the toss. With no chances of making it to playoffs, Parag made three changes to the side. Wanindu Hasaranga made a comeback.
"I was happy that I lost the toss, wasn't sure. It's very challenging, you got to be profession on the field. A lot of work goes into it. Need to play for our pride. Need to bring more energy into the field. We are hoping to put a collective effort. Three changes in our team. Nitish Rana has a niggle, he goes out. Hasaranga comes back for Kumar Kartikeya. Kunal Rathore and Yudhvir are in," Parag said at the coin toss.
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
Subs: Kumar Kartikeya, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma
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
Subs: Manish Pandey, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia