Moeen Ali has been excluded from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) playing XI for their clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 44 of IPL 2025. The iconic Eden Gardens is hosting the KKR vs PBKS contest on Saturday, April 26

The reason behind Ali’s ouster might be due to his disappointing form this season. He has picked up only three wickets in four games while bowling 11 overs. Meanwhile, he has managed to score only five runs at an average of 2.50.

The last game against the Gujarat Titans saw him return with figures of 0/27 and get dismissed on a duck.

Former West Indies T20I skipper Rovman Powell has replaced Moeen Ali in the XI and will make his IPL debut for KKR. In 27 IPL games, he has garnered 360 runs at an average of 18.57 and a strike rate of 147.54, with a top score of 67*.

Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya has come in place of Ramandeep Singh, who has struggled to get going with the bat.

KKR Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Impact Subs: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Anrich Nortje, Luvnith Sisodia, Anukul Roy.

Ajinkya Rahane wants batters to be “brave” in KKR vs PBKS contest

PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first against KKR. On being asked about chasing, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane opined that their bowling unit has done well, but lacked potent support from their batters. He said:

“It’s all about playing good cricket, need to chase down whatever the target is. Our bowlers have been bowling really well. They have improved a lot. The boys have disappointed with the bat, but need to be brave in this format. Our batting unit needs to do well in this game. We have been playing good cricket in patches. It’s all about living in the moment and need to be positive.”

The Kolkata-based franchise are currently seventh in the IPL 2025 points table, with three wins in eight games. They need a victory in almost all their remaining games to qualify for the playoffs.