4, 1, 14 - These figures represent the opening partnerships of Kolkata Knight Riders when Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine batted together in IPL 2025. In their sole match against Rajasthan Royals, where KKR had an opening pair, they managed to score 41 runs. In that game, Moeen Ali partnered with de Kock as Narine was sidelined due to a minor injury. De Kock played a pivotal role in securing victory for KKR, scoring 97 runs off 61 balls on a challenging pitch.

The opening partnership of Phil Salt and Narine significantly contributed to KKR's championship success, but this season, the combination of de Kock and Narine has yet to deliver strong performances. This situation has necessitated that Ajinkya Rahane, Angrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, and Rinku Singh bat lower in the order. In the match against Mumbai Indians, KKR had to utilize their Impact Player in the first innings, resulting in Ramandeep batting at the ninth position.

KKR has generally been satisfied with Narine as an opener, yielding mixed outcomes for the defending champions. However, the franchise has faced criticism whenever Narine has struggled to make an impact at the top of the order, and this season has been no exception.

During the toss for KKR's home game against the Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens on Tuesday, former New Zealand fast bowler Danny Morrison questioned KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane regarding the ongoing discussions about the opening partnership of Narine and de Kock. The experienced batsman acknowledged the significance of the two left-handers at the top of the batting lineup.

"People will always have opinions, but we recognize that Quinny and Sunil are match-winners. We are not concerned about them," Rahane stated after winning the toss.

The captain of KKR elaborated on his decision to bowl first during the afternoon match when questioned by Danny Morrison. "The pitch appears to be in excellent condition, and the temperature is quite moderate. I don't anticipate significant changes in the wicket. One boundary is relatively short, which influenced our choice to bowl first. Everyone is eager for this match. It's essential to approach this game with a fresh mindset, focus on the positives, and take it one step at a time."

Currently, Lucknow occupies the sixth position in the points table, while KKR is in fifth place; both teams have recorded two wins and two losses.

The victorious team in this match will have the opportunity to move into the top four.

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi.

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