IPL 2024, Match 28: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants Match Preview

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) battle it out against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata in match 28 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday, April 14.

The Bengali New Year is going to be celebrated on Sunday and the former two-time champions would love to gift their fans a win on the auspicious occasion. It has been a fine start to the season for the Knights. They won their first three matches of a season for the first time. Shreyas Iyer and Co. defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Delhi Capitals to get off to a rollicking start in the 17th edition of the cash-rich league. However, in their last game, the Knights tasted their first defeat against Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets after the defending champions comprehensively chased down a 138-run target with 14 balls to spare.

Knights would want to return to winning ways in front of their home fans on Sunday. They have several players in form. Sunil Narine has turned the corner after reuniting with former captain and current mentor of KKR, Gautam Gambhir. The West Indies all-rounder has contributed superbly with bat and ball. Narine has scored 161 runs from four matches at an average of 40.25 and a strike rate of 189.41. With the ball, he has taken four wickets and conceded runs at only 7.38 per over.

Narine's good friend from the Caribbean, Andre Russell has also been in scintillating form. In three innings, he has scored 115 runs at an average of 57.50 and a strike rate of 212.96. Russell has also picked up five wickets at an average of 15.20. Phil Salt scored a half-century on his KKR debut but has slipped under the radar since then. However, he can get back among the runs with one good knock. The likes of Venkatesh Iyer and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi have also shown promise.

KKR fans would love to see their captain, Shreyas, stepping up as the right-handed batter has scored 91 runs from four games at an average of 30.33 and a strike rate of 131.88. Mitchell Starc, who is the most expensive player in the league, is yet to hit his straps and that will be one major area of concern for the Kolkata-based franchise. The Australian speedster is averaging 77 and has picked up just two wickets from four games. His economy rate is also a dismal 11.

Lucknow Super Giants lost their first match of the season against Rajasthan Royals before winning three games on the trot against Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Gujarat Titans. However, in their last encounter against Delhi Capitals, KL Rahul's men suffered a six-wicket defeat as they failed to defend a 168-run target at their home ground. This was the first instance when Lucknow lost a match where they were defending a score of over 160.

Nicholas Pooran is the leading run-getter for LSG this season. The southpaw has accumulated 178 runs from five matches at an average of 89 and a strike rate of 167.92. Knight Riders would want to see the back of him sooner rather than later. KL Rahul struggled in the first four games but looked in much better shape during his 22-ball 39-run knock against the Capitals. Ayush Badoni scored a brilliant half-century in the last game and his return to form will surely give Lucknow a huge boost. Quinton de Kock has scored two fifties from the five matches and has looked in good touch.

On the bowling front, Yash Thakur bagged a five-for a couple of games ago and also bowled well against Delhi. Ravi Bishnoi has not been up to the mark so far as he has only accounted for four wickets from five games at an average of 32.25. Meanwhile, Naveen-ul-Haq and Krunal Pandya have blown hot and cold. On a sluggish Lucknow pitch, the latter conceded 45 runs from three overs in the last match.

Eden Gardens Pitch Report and Conditions

Eden Gardens is known for producing some of the finest batting pitches. The venue had the highest average first-innings score last season. In the only game played at this venue in IPL 2024, 412 runs were aggregated as KKR scored 208/7 before restricting Hyderabad to 204/7. Dew will not be a factor as this is an afternoon fixture but humidity is going to be on the higher side and players will need to keep themselves hydrated. Batting first and putting up a huge total will be a good option on the ground where the boundaries are not very daunting.

Probable Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

One defeat should not worry the Knights as they have played very well so far in the tournament. Nitish Rana suffered a finger injury in the first match and has been ruled out since then. He is expected to miss this encounter. Harshit Rana also suffered an injury against Delhi and missed the last game against Chennai. KKR would not want to rush him back into the side. The hosts should stick to their same XI against the Super Giants, a team they have yet to beat in the IPL.

Predicted XI: Philip Salt, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy

Impact Player: Anukul Roy

Also Check: IPL 2024 Points Table

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

Lucknow will continue missing the services of their young pace sensation Mayank Yadav for this clash as head coach Justin Langer said earlier this week that he is likely to miss the next two matches. He already missed the match against Delhi on Friday, April 12 and chances of him featuring against the Knights in less than 48 hours are slim. Devdutt Padikkal has been woefully out of form and Deepak Hooda could get a go in his place at No. 3. Matt Henry could be picked instead of Naveen as the former may be effective with the new ball on the Eden Gardens pitch.

Predicted XI: KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock, Devdutt Padikkal/Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Arshad Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur

Impact Player: M Siddharth

Head-to-Head Record

KKR vs LSG, 28th Match Broadcasting details: