IPL 10, Qualifier 2, MI v KKR – Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI

The Kolkata Knight Riders were in a spot of bother when they saw the rain gods pouring down heavily at Bengaluru on the day of the Eliminator. They were lucky enough to see a 6 over run chase get underway and ended up knocking out the defending champions out of the tournament. Now, they head forward for their next game against the Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2.

The action stays in Bengaluru and the concerns for the Kolkata Knight Riders remains the same. Persistent showers have hit the venue yet again and the evenings have seen relentless rain pouring down. KKR will want the match to get underway at any cost. In case the Qualifier 2 gets washed out, the Mumbai Indians will directly move into the finals of the season.

Well, there is very little that the team can do about the weather on the day. What the Knight Riders can certainly work on is their team combinations. Going into the Qualifier 2, they would want their best combinations to be put forth. Skipper Gautam Gambhir will have his work cut out for finalizing the playing eleven. He had surprised a few with his selections in the previous game.

Here we look at the Predicted XI of Kolkata Knight Riders for the Qualifier 2:

Openers (Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn)

It was surprising to see no Sunil Narine at the top order in the match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Considering the short run chase, Narine should have been the preferred man for the role. The team did not show enough faith in him and that will certainly dent his morale on the personal front. However, he is likely to be back in the opener’s role in the game against the Mumbai Indians.

Chris Lynn has been an absolute powerhouse this season. He has been smacking the ball at a strike rate of 187.74. He has scored 291 runs in the 6 matches that he has played thus far and averages close to 60 with 3 fifties to his name. Considering the fact that he would want to stamp his authority at the opening slot, expect Lynn to come out all guns blazing in the playoffs.

Middle Order (Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishank Jaggi)

Gautam Gambhir has been the go-to man for Kolkata Knight Riders this season. Gambhir has led from the front and is currently the leading run-getter for his team this season. With 486 runs to his name in 15 matches, Gambhir has hit 4 fifties this season. He has an average of 44.18. In the previous game, when the chips were down at 12/3, it was Gambhir who saved the day for his side.

Robin Uthappa has played the role of the dark horse for the team. Not many have noticed how he has contributed time and again for the team’s cause this season. In the 13 matches that he has played in the season thus far, Uthappa has scored 387 runs at an average close to 33 with a strike rate as high as 166.81. He has five fifties to his name and that is a testimony of how good things have been for him this season.

Suryakumar Yadav is likely to retain his place in the side owing to the injury of Manish Pandey. Manish has been ruled out of the season and hence Suryakumar will be the preferred choice in the playing eleven. Jharkhand batsman Ishank Jaggi got his first taste of the IPL in the Eliminator and showed great maturity with the bat. He is also likely to retain his place in the side.

All Rounders (Yusuf Pathan)

Hard-hitting middle-order batsman Yusuf Pathan has really come of ages in the recent times. This year, he has shown absolute maturity with the bat. Yusuf has a fifty to his name this season and has been in a striking form. A rare moment of failure occurred when his ignorance saw his bat fall short of the batting crease in the Eliminator. Yusuf would want to cover up for the missed opportunity and steal games for his side on a more frequent basis.

Bowlers (Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult, Umesh Yadav, Piyush Chawla)

The Kolkata Knight Riders bowling lineup has been a very strong one in this tournament. They got a big boost in the form of Nathan Coulter-Nile in the previous game. Coulter-Nile returned with figures of 3/20 in his four overs to be named as the Player of the Match on the day. He has been performing consistently with the ball this season and will hold the chances for his side in the knockout game.

Trent Boult had a decent start to the season but soon found himself at the receiving end of heavy belting from the batsmen. In the match against Mumbai Indians in the league stages, Boult was taken apart for a plenty as Nitish Rana and Hardik Pandya took a special liking to his bowling. He would want to come up with a revenge spell in the match which matters the most.

Umesh Yadav has been consistently doing well in the bowling department. He has been the preferred new ball bowler on most occasions this season. He has had a decent outing thus far.

In the spin department, Piyush Chawla got a game ahead of Kuldeep Yadav in the previous game. He did a good job with the ball and even took the key wicket of the opposition skipper David Warner. He is likely to retain his place in the lineup.