NEW DELHI: In a move that has raised more than a few eyebrows, Kolkata Knight Riders have decided to drop seasoned all-rounder Moeen Ali in favor of Australian pacer Spencer Johnson for their IPL 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
The decision comes despite Johnson’s underwhelming numbers in the tournament so far, where he has conceded runs at a staggering economy rate of 10.44.
Johnson’s stats tell a difficult story: just one wicket in three matches, an average of 87.00, and a best of 1/42.
His inclusion over Moeen, a vastly experienced campaigner with both bat and ball, has surprised fans and pundits alike.
KKR, who currently sit fifth on the table, are under pressure to reclaim momentum, and this selection signals a bold and risky strategic shift.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bowl first at Eden Gardens.
With a 2-3 head-to-head record against LSG, KKR will be eager to even the score and climb back into the top four. Whether Johnson can step up and justify the faith shown in him remains to be seen.
LSG, on the other hand, made no changes to their winning combination and currently sit one spot below KKR in sixth place.
With the league entering its mid-season crunch, every match is turning into a must-win, and KKR’s decision could prove either genius or disastrous depending on how the game unfolds.
Playing XIs: KKR vs LSG
KKR: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
LSG: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi.
