The defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), are keen to follow up their convincing 80-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad with another win when they face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 21 of IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens. With the bulk of the playing XI remaining the same, however, one name missing from KKR's playing eleven has caused a few raised eyebrows: Moeen Ali.

The experienced English all-rounder has been substituted by left-arm Australian pacer Spencer Johnson for this do-or-die match. This strategic change, confirmed in the toss by skipper Ajinkya Rahane, is based heavily on the Kolkata pitch condition.

Ex-Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden, in his pitch report, showed some grass and even the chance of a sticky surface in the first innings. Such a surface early on is perfect for fast bowlers to be able to produce bounce and movement something perfectly suited for a tall fast bowler like Johnson.

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Moeen's Quiet Season So Far

Spencer Johnson has played three matches this season, picking a single wicket while leaking runs at an expensive economy of 10.42. Moeen Ali, however, had a relatively subdued IPL 2025, picking up just five runs and taking two wickets across two matches. The switchover might be as much tactical as performance-related.

KKR has also recruited Vaibhav Arora as a cover for Angkrish Raghuvanshi, reflecting a desire for more bowling depth. Having a slightly shorter boundary on one side and favorable bowling conditions to start with, KKR is very keen to strike at the top with the pace.

With KKR targeting back-to-back victories, Moeen's absence seems a condition-based short-term decision. Since the tournament is in its early stages, Moeen Ali can be anticipated to return once games and conditions are involved.

KKR vs LSG: Playing XIs

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

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