In the new captains’ clash, Shreyas Iyer won the early fight while Kolkata Knight Riders won the draw and opted to face Chennai Super Kings in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) opener at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
To raise a few eyebrows, the Kolkata Knight Riders opted for just 3 foreign players, while the Ravindra Jadeja-led Chennai Super Kings fielded their full quota of 4 foreign players and gave New Zealand batsman Devon Conway a debut.
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KKR debuted former Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane alongside England batsman Sam Billings. Sheldon Jackson came in as the wicketkeeper-batter while usual suspects Sunil Narina and Andre Russell formed the starting XI for the opening game.
On the other hand, CSK chose Conway, Dwayne Bravo, pacer Adam Milne and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner as their four overseas options in the absence of Moeen Ali, who is unavailable for their first game due to a visa delay.
MS Dhoni, who resigned from captaincy earlier this week, was used as wicketkeeper-batter for the opening game.
At the draw, Jadeja said he was looking forward to the new role after taking on the legendary Dhoni.
“Big footprints to fill in. Happy and excited for the new role,” said Jadeja.
SHIVAM DUBE IN CSK XI
Meanwhile, Tushar Deshpande was selected as the only Indian seaman in the absence of Deepak Chahar, unavailable for the first few weeks due to a hamstring injury.
CSK also made a debut for all-rounder Shivam Dube, who joined the 4-time champions from the Rajasthan Royals.
CSK Plays XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Shivam Dube, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Adam Milne, Tushar Deshpande.
KKR plays XI: Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Jackson (WK), Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy.
