IPL 2022: Match 1 – Strongest Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI against Chennai Super Kings

The IPL 2022 will commence from the 26th of March and the tournament will kick off with an exciting fixture between the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders. This will be a repeat clash of the finals last year and KKR will be looking for redemption after losing out previously.

Kolkata Knight Riders managed to get back most of their players in the IPL 2022 mega auction and they did a good job at the end to buy some valuable backup options as well. The franchise finished runners up in the previous edition after making a strong comeback in the second phase of IPL 2022 in UAE and they are likely to stick on to the same combination this time around as well. Shreyas Iyer was named as the captain of the side after getting him in the auction for a big price.

KKR faced an early setback ahead of the tournament, with Alex Hales pulling out due to bio bubble fatigue. Aaron Finch was named as the replacement but he won’t be available for the first few games along with Pat Cummins. This means that, the KKR franchise will not be able to field their best playing XI yet against the Chennai Super Kings franchise, however, they have enough options on the bench to try out.

Meanwhile, here’s the predicted Playing XI of Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2022 Match 1

Openers – Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer

Ajinkya Rahane is likely to get the nod for the opening game against Chennai Super Kings with Finch being not available. This will be a great opportunity for the veteran batter to get back in the scheme of things for the Indian team and a consistent run at the top might just seal his spot in the playing XI. Rahane has immense experience in IPL having played over 150 games and he will be the perfect partner to a young and upcoming batter in Venkatesh Iyer.

Iyer on the other hand will be riding high on confidence after an extraordinary start to his IPL career last year and has done really well in the international setup in recent times. The tall left-hander will be one of the vital cogs for the KKR this season if they have to get into the playoffs, he has to be very destructive at the top of the order. The left-hand right-hand combination is expected to work well for KKR at the start.