IPL 2025: Why won’t Moeen Ali play in Match 21 between KKR and LSG?

The IPL 2025 Match No. 21 has been rescheduled from Sunday to Tuesday, April 8 at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens. At the famous stadium, the match between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) began with the latter being put in to bat first.

Match 21: KKR vs. LSG: Toss Update

After winning the coin toss, Ajinkya Rahane reaffirmed his choice to bowl first against LSG. The Kolkata captain explained his choice, stating that he had to consider the boundary dimensions on one side of the ground.

Moeen Ali is replaced by Spencer Johnson; LSG’s XI remains unchanged.

All-rounder Moeen Ali was replaced by ace pacer Spencer Johnson, which was the only change made to KKR’s lineup from the previous match. The defending champions must have been tempted to abandon the seasoned player since the English all-rounder did not mesh well with the batting combination and was ineffectual with the ball. The LSG captain, Rishabh Pant, stated that they haven’t changed their starting lineup.

What did the captains say in Match 21 between KKR and LSG?

The captain of LSG, Rishabh Pant

I wouldn’t describe it as happy. avoiding dwelling too much on the past. I’ll focus on the good and keep going. We are winning as a team, and I am pleased to be captain. We are using the same starting lineup.

The captain of KKR, Ajinkya Rahane

First, we’re going to go bowling. Although it’s not that hot, the wicket looks fantastic. Not much will change with the wicket. We are bowling first because one side boundary is narrow. Everyone is anticipating this game. The key to this game is to start over, focus on the good, and take things one step at a time. We know Quinny and Sunil are match winners, so people will talk about it. They are not a concern for us. Moeen is replaced by Spencer.

🚨 Toss 🚨@KKRiders won the toss and elected to bowl against @LucknowIPL at the Eden Gardens.

Updates ▶ https://t.co/3bQPKnwPTU#TATAIPL | #KKRvLSG pic.twitter.com/wgiPZDBu5L

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 8, 2025

Match 21: KKR vs. LSG: Playing

Knight Riders of Kolkata

Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Quinton de Kock (w), Sunil Narine, and Ajinkya Rahane (c).

Impact Subs: Luvnith Sisodia, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi

The Lucknow Super Giants

Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and David Miller

Impact Subs: Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Shahbaz Ahamad, Prince Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi