IPL 2019 – Match 38: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders – KKR Predicted Playing XI

With four losses in their last four encounters, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have put their playoff chances in jeopardy. A lot has been going wrong for the team. The bowling hasn’t been impressive this season and the team doesn’t have many reserve players to look at. Thus, they lost three out of these four matches while batting first.

The defeat in the last game against RCB was more disheartening. One or two bad overs with the ball and some sluggish batting cost them the game. KKR needs to analyse what went wrong and should work on a few aspects of the game. The team might look to make changes for its next game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

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

Openers (Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine)

Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine will continue to open the proceedings for KKR. The management might persist with the duo which will mean that Shubman Gill will have to continue batting down the order. The Australian batsman looked good whenever he tried to take some time initially and then build the innings.

But in the last match, since the asking rate was so high, he decided to take Dale Steyn on and the gamble didn’t pay off. Sunil Narine, on the other hand, shouldn’t look to slow down after he smashes a few boundaries. His job is to score the runs at the best strike rate possible and he should stick to it. The Hyderabad pitch might have some assistance for him.

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

Robin Uthappa must bat at number three. Even if he scores fewer runs, the right-hander should look to attack the bowlers as he has got a lot of batting to come after him. Uthappa shouldn’t carry the pressure from the last match where he could only score 9 runs from 20 balls. Nitish Rana should continue to bat at number four.

He played a gem of a knock in the last encounter against RCB but couldn’t take his team over the line. Rana should look to play the same kind of aggressive cricket and should subject the opposition to pressure. Dinesh Karthik and Shubman Gill will be the other batsmen in the middle order and should adapt their game as per the situation.

All Rounders (Andre Russell)

Andre Russell expressed a desire to bat at number four if there is a tough situation in the post-match press conference. Even though the combinations of the side do not support it, Russell has to get as many deliveries as possible. He seemed extremely disappointed with the loss in the last game and would be looking to light up Hyderabad with a big knock.

Bowlers (Piyush Chawla, KC Cariappa, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney)

While Piyush Chawla will continue in the eleven, KKR might look to rest Kuldeep Yadav. He broke down after conceding 27 runs in the last game and seems to be mentally exhausted. The chinaman needs a small break for him to get back to his best once again. In his absence, KC Cariappa could take his place.

KKR skipper and management have got a special liking for Prasidh Krishna who bowls quick. Even though he hasn’t been as impressive, they are persisting with him and might continue to do so. KKR could give Harry Gurney another opportunity before they take a call about having Matthew Kelly in the eleven.

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