Ravichandran Ashwin has been left puzzled by Kolkata Knight Riders' decision to bat first in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Punjab Kings currently going on in Kolkata. The match at the Eden Gardens on April 6, 2026 was always under a rain threat.
Ajinkya Rahane's team are struggling this season with two losses in two and looking well off the pace. He won the toss and elected to bat first on Monday. Ashwin took to X to express his surprise on why KKR would choose batting in a match they knew could be affected by rain, especially with an "inexperienced bowling attack."
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At the toss, Rahane announced that the team's two front-line spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy are not in the team. While Chakaravarthy is injured, Narine is unwell. Their spots went to West Indies all-rounder Rovman Powell and Indian pacer Navdeep Saini. The absence of Chakaravarthy and Narine further weakened KKR's already feeble bowling attack.
Ahead of the match, the Indian Meteorological Department had predicted rains in Kolkata due to kalboishakhi or nor'wester storms.
What Ashwin wanted to convey is that a moist pitch, soggy outfield due to rain and with ball skidding would make things tough for the KKR bowlers against PBKS' strong batting unit if the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) comes into effect.
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And it did rain as the play has been halted after just 3.4 overs of KKR innings. The players and the umpires were forced off the field due to rain as the scoreboard read 25/2. KKR lost opener Finn Allen and all-rounder Cameron Green in the second over to pacer Xavier Bartlett. Rahane (8*) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (7*) were batting when the play was halted.
According to IPL playing conditions, a match beginning at 7:30 p.m. IST is expected to finish by 10:50 p.m. IST. The rules also allow an extra 60 minutes to cover any delays, which pushes the cut-off for completing at least a five-over contest to around 11:50 p.m. IST.
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