In a surprising move, Kolkata Knight Riders have dropped England all-rounder Moeen Ali for their high-stakes IPL 2025 encounter against Punjab Kings on April 15. The match is being played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.
Tactical Shuffle: Rahane Confirms Moeen’s Omission
Speaking at the toss, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane confirmed the absence of Moeen from the playing XI, revealing that the team opted for extra pace over Moeen’s all-round skillset. South African pacer Anrich Nortje, who has recently regained full fitness after missing the opening matches of the season, has been brought in to bolster the bowling attack.
The decision appears to be a strategic one, aimed at countering the firepower in Punjab’s top order, which features the likes of Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, and Shreyas Iyer.
Current Playing XIs – PBKS vs KKR
Punjab Kings (PBKS):
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Josh Inglis, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Subs: Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy
Moeen’s Underwhelming Season So Far
Moeen Ali has struggled to find rhythm in IPL 2025, failing to deliver consistent performances with either bat or ball. With the pitch at Mullanpur expected to assist fast bowlers early on, KKR’s management felt Nortje’s raw pace was the more suitable option.
While Rahane clarified that this move was based on conditions and match-ups, he did not rule out Moeen’s return later in the tournament.
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