RCB vs KKR Playing 11, IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Lineups, Team News

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RCB vs KKR Playing XI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will square off against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 58 of the IPL 2025 on Saturday, May 17, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. This fixture marks the league's return after a nine-day pause due to rising cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.

RCB, who have won eight out of their 11 games so far, are on the verge of sealing a playoff spot and could become the first team to qualify with a victory in this contest. In contrast, KKR-last season's champions-find themselves in a must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive.

They've managed five wins and suffered six losses in 11 outings, with one match ending without a result.

RCB vs KKR Team News, Injury Update

In the lead-up to the upcoming clash, Rajat Patidar got valuable time in the nets, batting over two days as he continues to recover from a hand injury sustained during RCB's last home encounter against CSK. RCB's Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, mentioned that the brief break in the schedule aided his recovery. Phil Salt, too, underwent extended batting sessions and appeared fully fit after sitting out the last two matches due to illness.

Josh Hazlewood remains the only RCB player yet to link up with the squad, as he continues rehabilitation for a shoulder issue back in Australia. Meanwhile, Moeen Ali and Rovman Powell are also absent for the restart. Moeen, who featured in KKR's last two games, might make way for Anukul Roy. With RCB's top order stacked with right-handers, KKR could look to Ajinkya Rahane to extract a few crucial overs of left-arm spin from Anukul.

For KKR's middle-order conundrum, both Manish Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer were actively involved in Friday's practice session. Pandey had taken Iyer's place in their last outing, and the final decision between the two could be made closer to match time.

RCB vs KKR Key Players

Ajinkya Rahane has been a standout performer during the PowerPlay this season, amassing 223 runs at an impressive strike rate of 187.39. If Rahane comes in early, Rajat Patidar may look to unleash Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has a strong track record against the KKR batter-conceding only 104 runs from 117 balls while dismissing him on seven occasions.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli's approach to spin has evolved significantly. His strike rate against spinners has climbed from 108.2 during 2020-23 to 136.34 in the 2024-25 season, potentially setting up a gripping battle with two of KKR's top spinners. Despite scoring 136 runs off Sunil Narine in the IPL, Kohli has done so at a modest strike rate of 105.42 and has been dismissed four times. His numbers are only slightly better against Varun Chakaravarthy, against whom he has 55 runs from 48 deliveries with one dismissal.

Rajat Patidar, meanwhile, has shown a downward trend against spin as the season has progressed. After striking 57 runs off 33 balls in the opening four matches, he has added just 33 runs from 35 deliveries in the next five games, falling to spin three times during that stretch.

RCB vs KKR Playing 11: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Lineups

RCB predicted XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell/Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam/Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma.

KKR predicted XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey/Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana.