IPL 2025 | Narine meets his 'fanboy' Rathi as KKR, LSG look to sustain momentum

Kolkata: Sunil Narine will come face-to-face with his 'clone' and biggest fan Digvesh Rathi when Kolkata Knight Riders host Lucknow Super Giants in a high-stakes IPL afternoon clash at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.

Both sides are locked at four points from as many games -- two wins apiece -- going into the contest. For the home side, it has been a season of mixed returns so far. After early defeats to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, KKR roared back to form in their last outing -- a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad -- following a long-awaited middle-order resurgence.

Their costliest buy Venkatesh Iyer finally delivered while Rinku Singh and veteran Ajinkya Rahane provided vital contributions.

Promising youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi also caught the eye with his fluency and textbook technique.

But one area of concern continues to plague the Knight Riders -- their misfiring opening partnership.

The opening duo of Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine has struggled to give them flying starts that Phil Salt provided last season.

Their highest stand this season has been 44 runs while the openers have managed 4, 1, and 14 in the other games.

Narine has looked scratchy and inconsistent, raising questions over his role at the top. It wouldn't be surprising if Raghuvanshi is pushed up alongside de Kock.

Narine vs Rathi

KKR know that Narine's importance is not just about scoring runs. With Narine and Rathi in opposite camps, it will be fascinating to see who outshines the other -- the master or the apprentice.

Rathi, who was spotted after a strong Delhi Premier League showing, now finds himself against the man who 'shaped his cricketing dream'.

"I fell in love with bowling after watching Sunil Narine," Rathi said after bagging the Player of the Match award against MI. "I want to stay calm like him, attack batters, and be fearless in crunch situations." With Imran Tahir’s hairstyle, Narine’s bowling action, and Kesrick Williams’ notebook celebration, Rathi has combined style with substance to become one of the most fascinating stories of IPL 2025.

On Friday night against Mumbai Indians at the Ekana, while every other LSG bowler went for 10 or more runs an over, Rathi stood out with figures of 4-0-21-1.

In four matches so far, Rathi has taken six wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.62 -- conceding more than eight runs per over only once.

His control over length and clever variations has earned praise from experts and coaches alike.

While Rathi's bowling has been exceptional, his on-field celebrations have courted controversy. He has already been fined twice -- once for physical contact with PBKS batter Priyansh Arya, and again after the MI game for his 'notebook' celebration.

He now sits on three demerit points -- a point away from a one-match suspension.

Will Rathi risk his signature celebration again in front of his hero Narine? That remains to be seen.

LSG come into this contest riding high after a 12-run win over Mumbai Indians in Lucknow. Mitchell Marsh has been striking the ball cleanly at the top, while Aiden Markram, after a quiet start to the season, returned to form with an impactful fifty against MI.

However, Rishabh Pant’s poor run thus far in the IPL has already sparked criticism from fans and experts alike.

Having been bought for a record INR 27 crore, the pressure is only growing on the LSG skipper, especially with team owner Sanjiv Goenka known for his passionate involvement in the game.

After a much publicised 'schooling' session with KL Rahul last season, it remains to be seen how long Goenka's patience holds if Pant’s lean patch continues.

Teams (from) Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell, Mayank Markande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Chetan Sakariya.

Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Abdul Samad, Akash Deep, Akash Singh, Avesh Khan, Ayush Badoni, Matthew Breetzke, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Himmat Singh, Shamar Joseph, Aryan Juyal, Arshin Kulkarni, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Nicholas Pooran, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Manimaran Siddharth, Shardul Thakur and Mayank Yadav.

Match starts: 3.30pm.