IPL 2025: PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer wins toss against former side KKR, opts to bat

Mullanpur (Punjab): Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat against his former side and the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday.

Shreyas Iyer, who captained Kolkata Knight Riders to its third title in the last edition, is now leading Punjab Kings against his former side. He has exhibited a prolific form in the ongoing tournament and led Punjab to three victories in their five fixtures in the ongoing season. Punjab comes into the fixture after receiving a bashing from Abhishek Sharma during their 8-wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders are level with Punjab on points, with both teams having six each, but the defending champions have played a game more than their opposition. Their performances have come in patches, but they are coming into the fixture on the back of a commanding 8-wicket triumph against Chennai Super Kings. KKR will be keen to build on its winning momentum.

After winning the toss, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer said, “We are going to bat first. I feel the wicket has been really well for the last couple of matches. The dew comes in, but the outfield doesn’t skid through. I don’t remember the team changes; I will tell you later. We need to take as many catches in the fielding as possible and create some sort of brilliance.”

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane said during the time of the toss, “We were looking to bowl first on this wicket. For me, toss is something you cannot control. We have batting that can chase the target. Just one change. Nortje comes in for Moeen Ali. He has been working hard on his game, and I am really looking forward to seeing him bowl tonight.”

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Josh Inglis, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Punjab Kings Impact Subs: Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakaravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey. (ANI)