Russell, Narine Back in Action as KKR Will Face Must-Win Match Against RCB

The Indian Premier League 2025 is set to resume on May 17 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru facing Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru. This is a must-win match for KKR if they want to make it to the playoffs.

Most of the KKR players are expected to reach Bengaluru between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. KKR’s West Indies players Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell and the team mentor Dwayne Bravo have been in Dubai since leaving India.

All of them left following the suspension on May 9 due to military escalations between India and Pakistan. After both countries called for a ceasefire on May 10, the completion of the league seemed possible, and franchises started to call their overseas players back.

Availability of KKR Players

All-rounder Moeen Ali and fast bowler Spencer Johnson are in the UK and Australia, respectively. All indications are that they will return to India.

Kolkata’s wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz is currently in Kabul but will first join his teammates in Dubai and then fly to India with them. South African fast bowler will arrive in Bengaluru from the Maldives.

There is still no confirmation whether Quinton de Kock will return. Meanwhile, KKR’s Indian players and support staff will arrive in batches from Wednesday.

KKR is currently sixth in the standings with five wins and one no-result from 12 matches. After the match against RCB, KKR’s final league game is against SRH in Delhi on May 25. They need to win both matches to have even a chance of making it to the playoffs.

Revised Schedule

The revised schedule for the remaining matches was released on Monday. It will resume from May 17, and the final will take place on June 3.

There are 13 league matches left, along with 4 playoff fixtures. The rest of the league phase will be played at six venues – Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The venues for the playoffs have not yet been announced.

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