IPL 2022: KKR new captain Shreyas Iyer opts to field first against CSK in season opener

Mumbai [Maharashtra]: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer on Saturday won the toss and opted to bowl first in the Indian Premier League 2022 opener against Chennai Super Kings here at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.

This match will mark a momentous occasion as the 15th edition of the IPL is welcoming fans back to the stadiums.

The IPL 2022 matches will be played across stadiums in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune with an audience occupancy rate of 25 per cent as per COVID-19 protocols.

At the toss, KKR captain Iyer said: "We will bowl first. I am super excited. It is a great honour to don this jersey. The players who have been playing for this unit have been doing well.

The track seems to be better and the dew will come in later and make it better. We are going in with three overseas players. Three of us got caps today. Myself, Billings and Rahane."

While CSK newly-appointed captain Ravindra Jadeja said: "Big shoes to fill in. Happy and excited for the new role. We are going with four foreign players. Conway, Bravo, Milne and Santner are our foreign players."

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja(c), Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(w), Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, and Tushar Deshpande.

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Jackson, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, and Varun Chakaravarthy. (ANI)