IPL 2023: Match 68, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI vs Lucknow Super Giants

Another season and another year of Kolkata Knight Riders playing their last game of the league with the hope of remaining alive in the race to qualify for the playoffs.

Notably, the Nitish Rana-led side will have to win its final league game against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday, May 20 and will have to hope that MI, RCB and PBKS drop points, so that they make it by virtue of the Net Run Rate (NRR). However, the chance of this happening looks really thin at the moment.

Check Here👉 KKR vs LSG Live Score and Updates

Nevertheless, the two-time champions will give their all in order to end the season on a high note. Rana and Rinku Singh are in terrific form at the moment while spin wizard Sunil Narine has finally returned back to form, which will definitely boost their confidence ahead of the LSG clash.

Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora too have done well and thus, KKR will be hopeful. However, will they make any strategic changes with players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz not firing at the moment? Let’s dissect -

Here's Kolkata Knight Riders predicted XI against Lucknow Super Giants:

Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Jason Roy

Well, even though he is not in form at the moment, Gurbaz is very likely to retain his place in the playing XI. The surface at Eden Gardens suits his style of play and hence Gurbaz can contribute a lot with the bat. When it comes to his wicketkeeping skills, Gurbaz has done alright in the ongoing IPL 2023. Thus, KKR are expected to back Gurbaz against LSG.

Jason Roy, meanwhile, has been one of KKR’s most dependable players in the ongoing season. In seven matches so far, Roy has smashed 240 runs at a strike rate of 150 and that’s a very positive sign for KKR. However, on the contrary, he has failed to make the most of the starts he got in recent matches and that’s one area that the England international will have to improve.

Middle order: Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh

Venkatesh Iyer has been extremely inconsistent in the ongoing season. The Indore-born cricketer has hit 380 runs in 13 matches so far but even so, his strike rate has been a matter of concern at times. Against LSG, he will have to step to the occasion as KKR have spent a lot on the cricketer but have got very little in return. Thus, in KKR's final game of the season, he will have the opportunity to prove himself and cement his spot for the next season.

Skipper Nitish Rana has been brilliant with the bat in the ongoing season. The Delhi-born cricketer has hit 405 runs in 13 matches thus far and most importantly, has always stepped up whenever the team needed him the most. Thus, he will hope to finish the season on a higher note by helping the team win their seventh match in the league.

Rinku Singh meanwhile has been so good that a lot of former players have already asked BCCI to include the cricketer in the national team. The Aligarh-born cricketer has scored 407 runs in 13 matches so far and with that, he is 11th on the IPL 2023 Orange Cap list. His consistency has been lauded by everyone so far and the player would hope to keep it going.

All-rounders: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur

Andre Russell has been another cricketer who has struggled with his form in the ongoing season. The West Indies international has scored only 220 runs in 13 matches so far and with the ball, he has impressed a couple of times. Overall, there’s a lot of room for improvement at the moment. 

On the other hand, Sunil Narine finally returned back to form in the last match against Chennai Super Kings. However, returning back to Eden Gardens, where the pitch is difficult for the bowlers, it needs to be seen how Narine delivers. When it comes to his batting prowess, it has been pretty underwhelming, to say the least.

Shardul Thakur meanwhile was brilliant with the ball in the last match. In three overs, he conceded only 15 runs and that’s not just a positive sign for KKR but also for the Indian team as right after the IPL, he will travel to England for the WTC final against Australia. Thus, Shardul getting back to form is very important at the moment.

Bowlers: Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy

The pace duo of Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana has been decent so far. Harshit has looked really dangerous with the new ball while Vaibhav has been very consistent with his line and length. However, at Eden Gardens, the condition may not favour the duo and thus, it’s needed to be seen if it can handle the pressure.

Varun Chakravarthy meanwhile has been one of KKR’s biggest stars this season. The spinner has picked up 19 wickets in 13 matches so far and with that, he is currently fifth in the IPL Purple Cap race. The cricketer will once again have to step up and bowl well as the LSG batters can wreak havoc in the middle.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Probable Playing XI:

Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Probable Impact Players

Kulwant Khejroliya, Anukul Roy, Mandeep Singh, Suyash Sharma, Lockie Ferguson