IPL 10, Match 14, KKR v SRH: Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI

Two-time title holders Kolkata Knight Riders have put on a display of professionalism and elegance with the bat so far. Their top order batsmen have clearly dominated in this edition of the IPL and have taken the responsibility of seeing the game through. In their very first game, it was an explosive Chris Lynn who blew the Gujarat Lions away. Lynn was of course well supported by KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir.

With the mighty Lynn forced to sit out with an injured shoulder, Gambhir took matters into his own hands against the Kings XI Punjab. He guided the Knight Riders to an easy victory with a 49-ball 72, thus snatching the Orange Cap away from his SRH counterpart David Warner. Don’t forget Sunil Narine’s contribution – with the ball, of course, he is always consistent – with the bat. KKR thought of a prospective opener alongside Gautam Gambhir; Sunil Narine’s name cropped up.

Narine was almost insolent to Varun Aaron, one of India’s fastest bowlers at one time. His blitzkrieg up the order meant KKR were sitting pretty at 100-1 in the 9^th over. Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey chipped in with a handful of runs to ensure the Kolkata Knight Riders an 8-wicket win over KXIP.

Although the Knight Riders are at the top of the table following their clinical performance on Thursday night, they do have some areas to focus on. Fielding has been a marked drawback for KKR, which cost them the game against the Mumbai Indians. The Kings XI Punjab batsmen also got away on a few occasions because of some sloppy work by the KKR fielders. The Knight Riders will need to pull up their socks as far as fielding is concerned because their next opponent is defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Here’s a look at CricTracker’s Predicted XI for the Kolkata Knight Riders for their clash against SRH:

Openers (Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Narine)

Gautam Gambhir has undoubtedly been the most consistent batsman for the Knight Riders over the years. He can pick the gaps at will and also has the ability to take the aerial route. Gambhir has worked hard on his technique, having made changes to his stance. The left-hander has had great success with the bat following his revamped approach and has been one of the most prolific batsmen in the IPL. He equalled David Warner’s 33 IPL half-centuries with a match-winning 72 against the Kings XI Punjab.

It’s bizarre when Sunil Narine is awarded the ‘Yes Bank Maximum Sixes’ award. The Kolkata Knight Riders unveiled their trump card for the first time on Thursday; it was, of course, Sunil Narine, not as a mystery bowler, but as an opening batsman. Narine’s first stint at the opening slot in the IPL paid off as the West Indian smashed 37 off 18 deliveries. As far as Narine is concerned, this isn’t his first gig as an opener. He’s opened the innings for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League quite a few times. In the IPL however, it was a first, and indeed a sight to watch.

Sunil Narine might feature in KKR’s opening pair, but with the ball, he’s nothing short of a genius. When you have Sunil Narine in the team bowling his 4 overs, it’s almost as though the opposition has just 16 overs to achieve the target. Narine finished with figures of 1-19 in his quota of 4 overs against the Kings XI. Now that he’s shown that he can bat, it’s only an added bonus for the Knight Riders.

Top order (Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey)

KKR’s top order consists of two elegant batsmen who can score freely. Uthappa was mighty consistent for the Knight Riders in last year’s IPL and gave his side many a steady start with his skipper Gambhir. Pushed down to the no.3 slot, Uthappa will look to do the same. He looked in great touch during his 26 runs against KXIP. A sweet timer of the ball, Uthappa is a rock solid batsman for the Knight Riders up the order.

The first Indian to score an IPL hundred, Manish Pandey is again a find for Indian cricket fostered by the Indian Premier League. Pandey has stepped up to the occasion on the big days and has stood strong for Kolkata when all else seemed to be crumbling. Manish Pandey is not only a big hitter of the ball but also quick between the wickets, which means he can convert the 1s into 2s. Pandey is also an agile fielder who can put in the dives and pull off blinders.

Middle order (Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Colin de Grandhomme)

The Kolkata Knight Riders can boast of one of the strongest middle orders in the IPL. To start with, there’s the big man Yusuf Pathan, who hits the ball effortlessly when he’s on song. Pathan has had just the one opportunity to bat this season in which he scored a mere 6 runs. Nevertheless, he’s a threat to any opposition.

With his cheeky approach to batting, Suryakumar Yadav has added valuable runs at the death and has even won games for KKR from improbable situations. Yadav is capable of striking the ball a fair distance and attacks from the word go.

New Zealand’s Colin de Grandhomme made his IPL debut against the Kings XI Punjab. He was given a bowl, and he chipped in with the prized wicket of Hashim Amla. However, the big all-rounder is yet to showcase his power with the bat. De Grandhomme boasts of a strike rate of 171.04 in Twenty20 cricket. The Kiwi is someone who can play an Andre-Russell-like role for KKR in the lower middle order.

Bowlers (Chris Woakes, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Trent Boult)

With Umesh Yadav’s return to the KKR setup, the side’s bowling line-up has been heavily reinforced. It was important for India’s Test bowlers to come back into the IPL, and Umesh was lethal in his very first game. The speedster has developed into a brilliant bowler who can clock up to speeds to 145 kph consistently. Yadav has been instrumental in the Knight Riders’ success over the years and will take great confidence from his performance against KXIP.

Throw in a Trent Boult along with Umesh and you have arguably the most dangerous duo of pace in the IPL. Trent Boult not only brings in serious pace, but he can also move the ball both ways. His in-swinging yorkers have troubled many a batsman. Unfortunately for Boult, things haven’t gone his way, with the edges going wide of fielders and the catches not sticking in. His figures in this year’s IPL so far don’t reflect his true ability.

England all-rounder Chris Woakes has also been a bit on the expensive side, but he bagged two important wickets against the Kings XI. Woakes can deliver four overs of quality bowling. An all-rounder, Woakes is also handy with the bat lower down the order.

Since it will be David Warner in the opposition, it might be a good idea to bring back Kuldeep Yadav into the side. The left-arm chinaman bowler had troubled the Australians in his maiden Test. Batsmen haven’t seen much of the youngster, and the so-called mystery element in Kuldeep will still puzzle the left-handers – the likes of Warner, Dhawan and Yuvraj.

The Kolkata Knight Riders are a side that bats deep. On the other hand, they also have a set of quality bowlers who can restrict the opposition’s total. The Knight Riders will look to bolster their position at the top of the table with another win in the bag against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.