IPL 2024, KKR Vs RR Toss Update: Rajasthan Royals Bowl First; Ashwin, Buttler Return To Playing XI

The top two teams in the points table as of now - Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals are meeting each other in match number 31 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. (Match Blog | Scorecard)

Toss Update:

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss and decided to field first. He invited KKR to bat first at their home venue.

Playing XIs:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Philip Salt(w), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal

The pitch looks rock hard and nice to bat on. The square boundaries are 59 metres and 71 metres respectively with the straight boundary at 75 metres. Humidity is there and dew might play a big role later, so captains will be looking to chase the target. The outfield is lightning-fast and bowlers might go to defend on the longer side of the boundary.

The Shreyas Iyer-led KKR humbled Lucknow Super Giants in their last encounter thanks to Phil Salt's destructive batting while chasing a modest target. Mitchell Starc also looked good with three wickets. They need to continue the good run against the table-toppers as well.

Rajasthan Royals brought back the ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and opener batter Jos Buttler in the playing XI after they missed the last game due to undisclosed reasons. KKR are going with the same team.