In the 44th match of the IPL 2025, where Kolkata Knight Riders are hosting Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday evening (April 27), KKR dropped two important players, Moeen Ali and Ramandeep Singh. Here, we will know the reason for these exclusions. 

It is the fifth match of the IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This venue is in controversy this year, as Kolkata Knight Riders haven't found home advantages from this venue, while spin-bowling is their biggest strength with the presence of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Moeen Ali. 

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Why is Moeen Ali not playing?

Former English cricketer Moeen Ali has proven to be an important player for KKR this season. He was present during the defending champions' all three wins in the ongoing IPL season. In their away matches against Rajasthan Royals (2/23) and Chennai Super Kings (1/20), Moeen Ali had important roles with the ball. However, in their home matches, Moeen Ali had no effective role during their victory against SunRisers Hyderabad and a wicketless bowling performance in their defeat against Gujarat Titans (0/27). With the bat, Moeen scored 5 and 0 runs this season. 

While Eden Gardens hasn't produced the spin-friendly wickets this season yet, the KKR team management has probably felt that the English cricketer may not fit well into the squad for the home match against the Punjab Kings. The hosts have focused on batting power, as Rovman Powell earned the cap by replacing the former English all-rounder. 

Ramandeep Singh struggling with bat

In the meantime, Ramandeep Singh is deeply struggling with the bat, as his scores this season are 6 not out, 22, 1, 0, and 1. Anyone can easily tell that the aggressive middle-order batter is out of touch. While the KKR batting isn't working well, Singh's present performance is just unacceptable. While Rovman Powell is set to prove himself in the batting order, the team management has also gone for the left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya.

Kolkata Knight Riders are desperate for a victory, as they are in seventh place with six points after eight games, recording three wins and five losses. More losses will mean it's too late for the defending champions.