"We haven't seen Ramandeep, Russell, Rinku and Venky's form" - Aakash Chopra on KKR ahead of IPL 2025 clash vs MI

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) don't need to change their playing combination for their IPL 2025 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI). However, he noted that their middle-order batters' form cannot be judged as they haven't yet been tested properly in the tournament.

KKR will clash with MI in Match 12 of IPL 2025 in Mumbai on Monday, March 31. The defending champions registered an eight-wicket win in their previous game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) after starting their campaign with a seven-wicket loss against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener said the Kolkata Knight Riders don't need to make any personnel changes but added that they would want Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer to be among the runs.

"KKR's last game was near perfect. When they came to bowl first, they restricted the opposing team to a manageable total. Everyone took wickets. Moeen Ali, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana picked up wickets, and Spencer Johnson also bowled well," Chopra said (9:05).

"So I don't think they are looking for any change whatsoever. They have come with great confidence here. So they won't change anything. Quinton de Kock gave a Player of the Match performance as an opener. So why should you change? The thing that has not been tested is that we haven't seen Ramandeep, Russell, Rinku and Venky's form," he added.

The former KKR player noted that the quartet didn't get to bat against RR and could be tested against MI.

"They got to bat once, and runs weren't scored. That was the story against RCB. However, they didn't need to do anything when they played against RR. You won the match by eight wickets, where Angkrish Raghuvanshi remained unbeaten with Quinton de Kock. I think their middle order will be tested in this match because there will be more chances of wickets falling with the new ball," Chopra observed.

Ramandeep, Russell, Rinku, and Venkatesh together scored 28 runs off 29 deliveries in the IPL 2025 opener between KKR and RCB. None of them got to bat against RR, with Quinton de Kock's unbeaten 61-ball 97 taking the three-time champions to an easy win.

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"If Narine is fit, he will come in, and Moeen will go out" - Aakash Chopra on potential change in KKR's XI for IPL 2025 clash vs MI

Sunil Narine missed KKR's previous game against RR due to an illness. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that Sunil Narine, if fit and available, would return to the Kolkata Knight Riders' playing XI at Moeen Ali's expense.

"There is just one thing. If Narine is fit, he will come in, and Moeen will go out. Moeen didn't do that well as an opener. He played only one match, but he didn't really set the world on fire. This team would need Sunil Narine here. As for the rest, if the middle order does well, Kolkata will stay the same and become stronger," he said (10:10).

Moeen registered impressive figures of 2/23 in four overs but managed only five runs off 12 deliveries in KKR's previous game against RR. Narine smashed 44 runs off 26 balls and delivered a spell of 1/27 in four overs in the tournament opener against RCB.