Does the restart of IPL 2025 mean salvation for Venkatesh Iyer?

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Does the restart of IPL 2025 mean salvation for Venkatesh Iyer?

Capture the possible XI, which is foreseen for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the IPL 2025 match 58 VS RCB.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 resumes after a one-week suspension, and it’s now or never for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Coming off a demoralising defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their last outing, KKR find themselves on a knife-edge. With just a handful of games left in the league stage, another loss could effectively end their playoff hopes. Ajinkya Rahane’s side must regroup quickly as they face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a must-win clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Manish Pandey vs Venkatesh Iyer – a selection dilemma for KKR

In their previous game, KKR dropped the out-of-form Venkatesh Iyer in favour of veteran Manish Pandey — a move that brought immediate returns. Pandey’s unbeaten 36 provided much-needed stability in the middle order.

However, Venkatesh, who was bought for a massive Rs 23.75 crore and named vice-captain, remains in contention. Both trained extensively in the nets on Friday, and the decision could once again go down to matchups — or faith in redemption.

Anukul Roy could return to the XI, offering left-arm spin against RCB’s right-hand dominant top order. With Moeen Ali and Rovman Powell out of IPL 2025, Ramandeep Singh is expected to retain his spot. KKR’s spinners — Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy — will once again be key, especially against the likes of Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar, both of whom have middling records against spin.