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Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to bowl first as Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Kolkata Knight Riders in a crucial Indian Premier League 2026 Match 57 clash in Raipur.

The biggest talking point from the toss was the absence of two key names. Phil Salt continues to miss out for RCB, while KKR have left out Varun Chakravarthy. RCB have made one change with Venkatesh Iyer coming into the side, while KKR handed debut to Saurabh Dubey.

Why Phil Salt is not playing against KKR

Phil Salt is not part of RCB’s playing XI as he is still recovering from the finger injury he sustained earlier in the tournament.

Salt had travelled to England for medical scans after hurting his finger while fielding during the match against Delhi Capitals. He has since returned to India, but RCB have decided not to rush him back into the playing XI.

His absence means RCB continue with their reshuffled top order. Jacob Bethell keeps his place, while the management has also brought in Venkatesh Iyer to strengthen the middle order in place of romario Shepherd

Why Varun Chakravarthy is not playing against RCB?

Varun Chakravarthy misses out after failing to recover fully from the leg injury he suffered in KKR’s previous game against Delhi Capitals.

The spinner had looked uncomfortable in that match and was seen struggling through his spell. KKR assistant coach Shane Watson had already confirmed before the match that Varun was still being monitored.

His absence is a big setback for KKR, considering he has been one of their most important bowlers during the recent winning run.

Saurabh Dubey makes IPL debut for KKR

KKR have handed an IPL debut to left-arm pacer Saurabh Dubey as Varun’s replacement.

The move indicates KKR are looking for extra pace rather than a direct spin replacement on the Raipur surface. Dubey’s inclusion adds fresh energy to the bowling attack in a must-win game for Kolkata.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood

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