IPL 2019 – Match 6: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab – KKR Predicted Playing XI

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) washed away the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday when a high-tide called ‘Dre Russ’ arrived onto the shore at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Even though the opposition was in control for 37 overs of the game, it took Andre Russell just three overs to turn it around. The Jamaican was brutal with the bat and helped the hosts register their first win of this edition’s Indian Premier League (IPL).

It was a great victory for the Knights but their focus now shifts to the next game against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the same venue. The opposition, captained by Ravi Ashwin. is also coming off a good win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the hosts need to be at their best to register back-to-back wins. KKR, though, has got a slight injury concern heading into this match and might make changes to their eleven.

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

Openers (Nitish Rana, Chris Lynn)

It was an interesting ploy to send Nitish Rana to open the innings in the last game and it was because of an injury to Sunil Narine, who has opened for them consistently. The move worked wonders as he provided the team with an excellent start. Nitish smashed some quality bowlers all around the park and might have converted it into a massive knock had there not been an interruption in between.

The southpaw will continue to open the innings alongside his Chris Lynn, the Australian cricketer. The right-hander smashed a massive six early and got out to Shakib Al Hasan when he tried to do that again. The Queenslander might continue to play this kind of cricket in the next game as well as he can be lethal if he gets going.

Middle Order (Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik (C & WK))

Robin Uthappa dealt well with pressure in the last game and played the second fiddle to Nitish Rana. The Karnataka-batsman brought out the big shots whenever required and was hitting the ball well unlike last year. He will bat at three while it was quite surprising to see the talented Shubman Gill not bat in the top four. The youngster could be back at this position for the upcoming match.

Dinesh Karthik was brilliant with his captaincy against the Sunrisers. The visitors were running away with the game in the first innings and it seemed as if the ‘Men in Orange’ would score in excess of 200. But, Karthik made some smart bowling and fielding changes to pull the game back brilliantly. Even though he couldn’t make an impact with the bat, he remains to be a very important part of the KKR set-up.

All Rounders (Joe Denly, Andre Russell)

Sunil Narine failed to make a big impact in the last game. Moreover, he also injured his bowling finger while trying to stop a ‘tracer bullet’ hit by David Warner. He didn’t open the batting and looked in discomfort when he came back onto the field to bowl his third over. Thus, Joe Denly might replace him. He is an exciting prospect from England who can smash the ball big and can also give the captain a few overs.

Andre Russell was unbelievable in the last game. No game is ever finished until this Caribbean all-rounder is in the middle. The hulk-like cricketer did well with the ball also and picked up the all-important wicket of David Warner, who was threatening to take the match away from the opposition. If he manages to maintain his fitness levels, he could well be unstoppable this season.

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

KKR has got quite a strong bowling line-up. Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav, the two wrist spinners, help in restricting the run flow. Moreover, they are wicket-takers and build a great deal of pressure on the opposition. Chawla is likely to bowl one or two overs in the powerplay.

Prasidh Krishna is still a work in progress but has improved a lot from last year. He is hitting better lines and lengths now and knows how to deal in a pressure situation. He will have the express pacer, Lockie Ferguson, assisting him at the other end. The Kiwi cricketer went for a few runs in the last game but bowled well. Once he gets accustomed to the conditions, he could trouble the batsmen a lot. His duel against Chris Gayle will be interesting to watch.

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