KKR Takes on CSK at Eden Gardens: Rahane Chooses to Bat

The Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper Ajinkya Rahane opted to bat after winning the toss against Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday, in the 18th edition of the IPL. Missing from the squad is vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer, sidelined due to injury, with Manish Pandey stepping in.

"We will bat first. Looks a good wicket. Last two games we batted first and did really well," said Rahane. He emphasized the importance of taking one game at a time and learning from past matches. KKR is presently seventh on the leaderboard, with five wins and five losses, while CSK sits at the bottom with only two wins, already out of the tournament.

CSK captain MS Dhoni, recalling his extensive cricket experience at the Eden Gardens, stated the team's intent to gather insights for the next year. "Trying to get answers for the next year. What hasn't gone well for us in the tournament," he noted. CSK's lineup sees Conway and Urvil Patel entering for Rasheed and Curran, marking a strategic change.

The line-ups for the match are as follows: Kolkata Knight Riders include Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy. Chennai Super Kings feature Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Devon Conway, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Ravichandran Ashwin, MS Dhoni, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.

(With inputs from agencies.)