IPL 2020: Match 32, MI vs KKR- KKR Predicted Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have had their moments in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, in their last three games, they found themselves in quite a bit of trouble. Though in two of them, the Knights managed to get out of jail, the team lost to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 82 runs on Monday.

Out of their seven matches, the Knights have won four. The Men in Gold and Purple are now set to lock horns with the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday, October 16 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Winning five out of their first seven matches, Rohit Sharma’s men have looked clinical.

Moreover, their 20-6 head-to-head record against KKR would also give them some confidence. For KKR, it remains to be seen if they make changes to the eleven from their last match.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Kolkata Knight Riders for MI vs KKR game: 

Openers (Shubman Gill, Tom Banton)

Shubman Gill has arguably been the standout batsman for the Knights thus far. With a couple of fifties under his belt, the youngster hasn’t disappointed. In the last match, he started with a few fours, but then couldn’t survive the heat.

Shubman has 254 runs at a decent average of 42.33. Tom Banton made his debut against the Challengers, but he had a rough time after KKR were asked to chase 195.

He was castled by Navdeep Saini after he strained hard for his eight runs. But the Somerset star is known for his big shots and based on one failure, it would be unfair to drop him.

Middle-order (Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (C & WK), Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi)

The middle-order has a blend of youth and experience but needs to be a bit more consistent. Dinesh Karthik got his form back with a half-century against KXIP, but then he couldn’t perform last time around.

Nitish Rana has a fifty to show for his efforts, but he has blown a bit hot and cold as well. Eoin Morgan got some decent scores, but even he has found it tough in recent times. The left-hander remains to be a vital cog in their setup with tons of experience under his belt.

Rahul Tripathi was demoted to the middle-order last time. It will be interesting to see where he bats next time around.

All-rounders (Andre Russell)

Andre Russell hasn’t performed to expectations by any stretch of the imagination. The Jamaican has ignited hopes with big shots but hasn’t been able to replicate what he did back in 2019. But bearing in mind the class and power he has the Knights may not even be thinking about dropping Russell.

With the ball in hand, Dre Russ hasn’t been the worst through. He has used the short-pitched delivery to good effect.

In seven games, Russell has six wickets, though at an expensive economy of 9.35. As the business end of the event comes by, Russell has to find ways of getting his form back.

Bowlers (Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy, Kamlesh Nagarkoti)

The bowling department has looked a tad fidgety at times. Varun Chakravarthy stands out among the bowlers. The tweaker has five wickets at an economy rate of 7.45.

He has bowled well on pitches, where run-making has been pretty easy. Prasidh Krishna has four wickets from two games. Kamlesh Nagarkoti has bowled with fire, but he has an economy of 9.52 with four wickets to show for his efforts.

Pat Cummins has also had a tough time. The speedster only has two wickets in his kitty. It goes without saying that the opposition batters have been cautious while playing him.