Is Azmatullah Omarzai playing today’s KKR vs PBKS IPL 2025 match?

Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai was named in the playing XI for their IPL 2025 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Saturday, April 26. The Afghanistan all-rounder has replaced Xavier Bartlett in the lineup.

Omarzai is playing only his second match of the season after managing just 16 runs and returning wicketless against GT. Overall, he has 1,292 runs in 92 innings and 106 scalps in 121 T20s. PBKS splurged INR 2.4 crore to buy him at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Meanwhile, Bartlett has been benched after managing just one wicket in his three games for Punjab.

At the toss, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer confirmed two changes in their playing XI. He said (via Cricbuzz):

“Maxwell and Omarzai come in.”

Glenn Maxwell replaced his Aussie counterpart, Marcus Stoinis, in the playing XI.

Like Punjab, the Knight Riders also made a couple of changes as Rovman Powell and Chetan Sakariya replaced Moeen Ali and Ramandeep Singh, respectively, in their playing XI. Powell is making his debut for KKR.

PBKS opt to bat against KKR in IPL 2025 match

PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat against KKR in their away IPL 2025 match. He reckoned that the spinners might come into play later on in the contest, saying (via Cricbuzz):

“We are batting first. Since we are playing on the same wicket they played on. Can see a few cracks, will get an idea on how it's playing."

The two teams are playing each other for the second time this season. In their previous meeting, Punjab beat KKR by 16 runs, defending 112 in a low-scoring thriller at the new Chandigarh Stadium.

Thus, KKR would be keen to avenge their loss and keep their chances alive in the IPL 2025 playoff race. The defending champions have managed just three victories in eight games. As a result, they are lying seventh in the points table.

Meanwhile, PBKS are fifth with five wins in eight games. However, they lost to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by seven wickets in their last game.

Follow the KKR vs PBKS IPL 2025 live score and updates here.