They can also shuffle their batting line-up.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have had a difficult beginning to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. They won just one out of three matches. They lost to Mumbai Indians by eight wickets in their last game, where their batting failed miserably. Other than the match against Rajasthan Royals, their bowling has also not been up to the mark.
Given these issues on the side, KKR could make some changes in their playing XI. The following are the likely changes for their game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2025.
One change we could see in the playing XI is Moeen Ali replacing Spencer Johnson. The Australian has been below par in the first three matches, taking only one wicket and conceding runs at an economy of 10.44. KKR had hoped he would deliver like Mitchell Starc did for them last season, but that hasn’t happened so far, so a change might be needed.
Moeen, who played against Rajasthan Royals when Sunil Narine was ill, performed well by taking two wickets and giving away only 23 runs. Although he failed with the bat that day, he is still a valuable batting option. So, bringing in Moeen for Johnson could be a change that works in KKR’s favor.
ALSO READ:
In the three matches KKR has played so far, apart from the first game, Angkrish Raghuvanshi has batted at No.4 and has done a decent job. However, this has affected KKR’s batting order, as Venkatesh Iyer has been pushed down to No.5. In the last match against Mumbai Indians, he struggled as he managed to score only six runs.
Since Venkatesh has performed well as a top-order batter for KKR, No.5 is not the ideal position for him. With Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, and Ajinkya Rahane fixed in the top three, the only way for Venkatesh to move up is by batting at No.4. In that case, Raghuvanshi can be used as an Impact Player when needed, as KKR already have a deep batting lineup.
KKR can consider adding an extra bowling option, either in the playing XI or as an Impact Player. One possible approach is to include Anukul Roy and Vaibhav Arora. One player can be a part of the starting XI while the other can come as an Impact substitute. In their match against Mumbai Indians, KKR used Manish Pandey as an Impact Player because their batting collapsed. This decision prevented them from utilising Arora, leaving them with only five bowlers in the lineup, which limited their bowling options.
A potential change for KKR could be playing both Arora and Roy in the bowling setup. Roy is also a capable batter, so instead of Raghuvanshi, they could use him as a batting option while also benefiting from his spin bowling. Another strategy could be including Roy in the batting XI and bringing in Arora as an Impact Player for bowling.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
