New Delhi, May 15 Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) said on Thursday that all-rounders Rovman Powell and Moeen Ali will not come back to India for the rest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 due to their respective medical reasons. KKR further said that apart from Moeen and Powell, all other players – both Indian and overseas – as well as support staff members, have arrived in Bengaluru.
“Both Powell and Ali couldn’t come back due to medical reasons. Rovman is undergoing a procedure, while Moeen and his family are down with a viral infection. We wish them good health and a quick recovery,” said the franchise in its statement.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will now be holding a training session at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday evening, as well as on Friday, in the run-up to their clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) happening on Saturday, which also marks IPL 2025’s resumption.
The business end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will run from May 17 to June 3, after the BCCI decided to suspend the tournament for a week on May 9 due to growing border tension between India and Pakistan. The BCCI decided to resume the action on May 17 after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire.
Kolkata Knight Riders, captained by Ajinkya Rahane, are currently in sixth place in the points table, with five wins from 12 matches, including their home game against Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata being abandoned due to rain.
They need to win both of their remaining league matches and pray for several other matches’ results to go in their favour to have a slim chance at entering the playoffs.
RCB, their opponents, confirmed that Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Lungi Ngidi, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, and Phil Salt had joined the side, though the availability status of Australia fast-bowler Josh Hazlewood, who is managing a shoulder niggle, is yet to be known. RCB are currently placed in the second position in the table with 16 points, the same as table-toppers Gujarat Titans but with a slightly inferior net run rate. They have another match remaining against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 25.
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