Here is why Kagiso Rabada Isn’t Playing Today’s IPL 2025 Match 39 Against KKR

The 39th match of IPL 2025 features the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) facing off against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Winning an important toss, Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain Ajinkya Rahane has elected to bowl first. He said that the ground generally favours the chasing side. Rahane mentioned that they would like to get an idea of how the pitch is playing while bowling. He said that his team is determined to move ahead on the points table. However, the big news ahead of the match is the absence of Kagiso Rabada from the GT playing XI.

Kolkata Knight Riders Opt to Bowl First in Kolkata

Ajinkya Rahane, leading the Kolkata Knight Riders, said that his team would like to get an idea of how the pitch is playing by bowling first. He noted that Eden Gardens is generally a chasing ground. Furthermore, he talked about how the KKR side is determined to move ahead on the points table. They currently languish in the 7th position. “Slightly on the drier side, when we bowl, we’ll get an idea how it’s playing. This is generally a chasing ground. We spoke after the last game. All the players are working really hard. We’ve made some errors but it’s all about being positive. We are at number 7 now, the motivation for each and everyone is to go up the ladder as a team. Really positive about all the players. Not too worried about middle-order I feel 5, 6, 7 sometimes is a tricky position to bat but when it works well it really looks well. Couple of changes. Gurbaz comes in and Moeen Ali comes in as well.” Rahane said.

KKR are playing with key bowlers like Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana and Moeen Ali.

Gill wants to post a nice total

Shubman Gill, captaining the GT side, said that he doesn’t expect any dew in the match. So, batting first won’t be an issue for his team. He exphasised on the need to post a good total for the match to be interesting. Gill complimented his bowling lineup, saying they all look to take wickets, which has helped them controlling the total as well. “I don’t think there’ll be any dew. If we post a nice total, it should be a good match. Our bowling, everyone has been contributing with wickets. we are looking to pick wickets and the way our bowlers have been controlling the totals has been tremendous. (On Rashid Khan) The skill-set that he brings along with his bowling and the energy that he brings on the field, any captain would love to have him.” Gill said.

Why Kagiso Rabada is not playing today

South African pacer Kagiso Rabada is still missing from the playing XI of the Gujarat Titans. Rabada played the first 2 matches of the season for his team. However, he subsequently went back to South Africa for personal reasons. The Gujarat Titans had earlier said in a statement that Rabada returned to South Africa for an important personal matter.

When asked about Rabada’s return, Shubman Gill, the GT captain, said that he can return in the “next ten days or so”. Until then, the Gujarat Titans are using the services of bowlers like Rashid Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj and Sherfane Rutherford.

GT bowlers have been impressive with the ball so far in the season. Prasidh Krishna, in fact, holds the purple cap at the moment. Siraj has been lethal with the ball, too, claiming 11 wickets.

Playing XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy

Gujarat Titans XI:

Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj

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