IPL 2019 – Match 17: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders – KKR Predicted Playing XI

Andre Russell is single-handedly carrying the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in this IPL. The Jamaican seems to be in the form of his life at the moment and is making all the difference for the two-time champions. The other players are also fitting into their roles really well and KKR appears to be a side to beat this year.

After the upset against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the super over, the Knights had a decent break. They will be back in action at the Chinnaswamy Stadium facing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The ‘Men in Gold and Purple’ have got a well-balanced eleven and might not need to make many changes. They only played three overseas players in the last match and have got some flexibility with the fourth player.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):

Openers (Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn)

The Kolkata Knight Riders didn’t play Sunil Narine for the last game against DC. The off-spinner might have carried a small niggle and thus was rested. But he has had a decent amount of break now. He would be eager to get back onto the field and perform for his team. Narine’s bowling form has been a slight concern but he is a champion bowler and will find ways to get back to the wicket-taking ways.

The Chinnaswamy stadium will be the perfect venue for someone like Chris Lynn to find his mojo back. The ball comes onto the bat nicely here at this venue and the boundaries are also quite small. Hence, Lynn will be looking forward to making a huge impact.

Middle Order (Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c)(wk), Shubman Gill)

Both Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana failed to deliver in the last game and that potentially had a bearing on the result of the match. They have been in good form and did well in the first two games. There are no questions or doubts about their places in the eleven.

Dinesh Karthik and Shubman Gill are the other two batsmen in the middle-order. Karthik scored a great half-century in the last game when his side was under pressure. But Shubman’s wonderful opportunity to showcase his talent went begging as he was involved in a mix-up and got run out.

All Rounders (Andre Russell)

Apart from Sunil Narine, Andre Russell in the other all-rounder in the KKR team. As mentioned earlier, he is in some unbelievable form. He had slight niggles in the last game and looked to be in discomfort. The all-rounder was hit by a ball on his shoulder and then had issues with what could possibly be his hamstring. But those might not keep him away from the next game and he will look forward to lighting up Bengaluru as well.

Bowlers (Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna)

The bowling of KKR seems to be a slightly weak link in this team. Both their wrist spinners, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav, haven’t been at their best. While Piyush has fared decently, Kuldeep seems to be struggling slightly. But that last over that he bowled against DC would have given the chinaman a lot of confidence.

He knows that his captain trusts him and that will boost his morale. Yadav will hope to win the wrist-spin battle against his good mate, Yuzvendra Chahal. KKR has got no option but to continue with Lockie Ferguson and Prasidh Krishna. They might be looking at Harry Gurney and Sandeep Warrier as the other possible options but will not make a change as yet.

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