Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 22 (ANI): As the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off on Saturday, BJP MP Anurag Thakur praised the tournament's impact on cricket and employment while also emphasising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for a TB-free India.

'IPL season 18 is about to begin. IPL has become one of the biggest leagues in the world in cricket. Thousands of people are employed and emerging players get a platform,' Thakur told ANI.

Alongside the IPL festivities, Thakur highlighted a crucial social initiative, stating, 'On the other hand, PM Modi has given the slogan of TB-free India. Today, politicians and actors will play an awareness match to remove the stigma around TB.'

Meanwhile, the much-anticipated IPL action will begin as defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) gear up to face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Saturday at Eden Gardens. Fans are eager to see how both teams perform in their season opener, with KKR looking to start strong in their title defense.

KKR's opening match against RCB has revived memories of the inaugural IPL game in 2008 when Brendon McCullum played a historic knock of 158 runs for KKR against the same opponent.

Both teams enter the season with a change in leadership. Ajinkya Rahane has taken over as KKR's captain, while Rajat Patidar leads RCB. RCB is eager to break its four-match losing streak against KKR.Spin bowling is expected to be a key factor in the game. KKR boasts an experienced spin attack featuring Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, supported by Moeen Ali and Anukul Roy.

On the other hand, RCB's spin department is led by Krunal Pandya, with assistance from Swapnil Singh, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and young spinner Suyash Sharma, who previously played for KKR in 2023.

The batting line-ups of both teams also promise an exciting contest. RCB's explosive batting unit includes Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, and Jitesh Sharma.

Meanwhile, KKR's batting order features Quinton de Kock, Rinku Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, and Venkatesh Iyer.

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

RCB Squad: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Swastik Chikara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Philip Salt, Manoj Bhandage, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh. (ANI)