IPL 10, Match 3 GL v KKR: Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI

The two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be eager to start off their IPL 10 campaign on a winning note when they lock horns with Gujarat Lions in the 3rd match of the tournament. As we all know, Kolkata has been one of the most consistent teams in the league and has gone on to lift the coveted title twice. Only Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are the other two teams to win two IPL trophies.

The glamorous KKR side consists of some big names both in the domestic and in the international circuit. Their top 5 batsmen are all Indians which clarifies the fact that likes to stick to their Indian contingent especially when it comes to batting. In the bowling department, they roped in the services of Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult and all-rounder Chris Woakes but it is hardly possible that all of them will be part of the playing XI.

With Sunil Narine in their ranks, they have arguably the best T20I spinner in the world. He has been a champion performer for KKR over the years and will definitely look to replicate his performance this time around.

With less than 8 hours to go for the 3rd match to commence here, we have a look at the Predicted XI of Kolkata Knight Riders.

 Gautam Gambhir (c)

The flamboyant Delhi lad doesn’t need an introduction. Ever since he took over the captaincy reign from Sourav Ganguly in 2011, KKR has been a dominant side and lifted the title twice, once in 2012 followed by the other one in 2014. He has been an inspirational captain and has led his troops to perfection.

Opening the batting, Gambhir has proved to be a lethal combination with Robin Uthappa and the duo have got them off to a flying start on quite a few occasions. He had a pretty decent season last time around scoring 501 runs in 15 outings with an impressive average of 38. Gambhir played for the Delhi Daredevils in the opening 3 seasons before being bought by KKR at a whopping price of Rs 11 crores in the 2011 auction.

In all Gambhir has appeared in 132 IPL matches accumulating 3634 runs at a strike rate of 124. He has also smashed 31 half-centuries with a highest score of 93.

 Robin Uthappa (wk)

Gambhir’s opening partner Uthappa is another heck of a player. On his given day he can literally tear apart any bowling attacks and has been an instrumental move up the order. In the 2014 season, it was the decision to send Uthappa up the order which worked wonders for KKR as they went on to lift the cup after losing 6 matches on a trot.

The right-hander has the ability to find the gaps on a consistent basis in the powerplay overs and also knows to step out and deposit the spinners over the boundary ropes. He is a very classy looking player and when he hits them it stays hit. Uthappa has been those very few players who have played for 4 different franchises across these 9 editions. Barring KKR, Uthappa also played for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors India.

Playing 135 matches, Uthappa has amassed 3390 runs at a strike rate of 128. In the last season, he was a not in the best of nicks and could manage only 394 runs in the 15 outings.

Manish Pandey

Pandey was the first Indian to smash a century in IPL while playing for the Deccan Chargers way back in 2009. It was a sensational innings from the young man which helped him make a name for himself especially in the shortest format of the game. After RCB, Pandey moved to Pune Warrior India before he was bought at the 2014 Auction by Kolkata Knight Riders.

He is a naturally gifted batsman and times the ball to perfection. While he relies more on timing and placement, he can also hit the lusty blows when required and knows to clear the boundary ropes. He played a match winning innings in 2014 final against Kings XI Punjab in Bengaluru which enabled KKR to pull off a sensational run chase and lift their 2nd title in 2 years.

Pandey has appeared in 89 IPL matches scoring 1819 runs at a strike rate of 118. He had a mediocre season last year and was even dropped for a couple of matches. In 13 matches he only managed to score 248 at a strike rate of 135.

Suryakumar Yadav

Now this man has made a name for himself in the middle order for KKR. Despite not getting those big scores, his quickfire 30’s and 40’s have proved to be immensely effective for the two-time champions and they will hope he fires all cylinders in the opening game against Gujarat Lions.

He has also been elevated to the captaincy of Mumbai in the domestic circuit and led them to the final before bowing out to Gujarat in the final frontier.

His pickup flick shot from the off stump remain his signature shot and will look to unleash some of those today. He was bought by KKR in the 2014 auction and ever since he has been a consistent performer in the middle order. He has the ability to decimate bowling attacks and KKR will be hoping for much of the same throughout the tournament.

Yusuf Pathan

When you talk about Yusuf Pathan, the first thing which comes to mind is brutal hitting. The big man from Baroda has the ability to smash bowlers at will and make them look clueless on his given day. He is a destructive player and his hard-hitting capabilities always make a vital cog for KKR despite his consistent indifferent form.

He hasn’t been a consistent performer for the two-time champions but has shown his credentials in patches. During the 2014 season, he smashed SRH bowlers all around Hyderabad and struck a match-winning 72 of a mere 22 balls. He also smashed the then fastest century in IPL for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians scoring 100 of a mere 37 balls but was unable to get his team past the finishing line.

He also bowls a few overs in between for not much and can slow the pace of the game. In all Yusuf has been a part of 134 matches scoring 2761 runs at a staggering strike rate of 146. In the previous season, Yusuf was in great form and scored 361 runs in 15 matches at a mind-boggling average of 72.

Chris Lynn

The hard-hitting Australian batsman is expected to get a game in especially in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan. He obviously knows how to play the big shots but playing in Indian conditions won’t be an easy thing for the BBL star. He has only played 5 matches for KKR and bagged a Man of the Match in the 2014 edition for well-composed innings of 45.

He came into the limelight after he grabbed a stunning catch in the boundary ropes during the 2014 edition to send back de Villiers and it was the turning point in the match.

From a situation where they looked done and dusted, KKR made a dramatic comeback and pulled off a victory from the jaws of defeat. He will definitely look to prove his mettle if he does get a game in the opening encounter for KKR.

Chris Woakes

The all-rounder from England was bought by KKR for a whopping price of Rs. 4.2 crores and is expected to take the field on Friday. Despite not having much experience of playing in the IPL, his international experience will definitely come in handy for the fast bowler. He has the ability to bowl with the new ball and give his captain some crucial overs at the death.

During the ODI series in India, it was Woakes’ heroics in the final over of the 3rd ODI which handed England their 1st victory of the tour.

He is also a handy lower order batsman and can be a perfect foil for some of the hard-hitters lower down the order. Despite not being an out and out power hitter he can execute the big shots and can be a useful lower order batsman.

Sunil Narine

He has been a champion bowler for KKR over the years and will definitely look to replicate his performance from 2013 and 2014. He didn’t have the best of seasons in the last two editions according to his standards and will look for a turnaround this time around. Ever since making a comeback with a remodified action, Narine hasn’t looked the same old bowler but in the recent series against Pakistan, he looked like getting back to his rhythm.

He bagged 21 and 22 wickets in the 2013 and 2014 respectively and was instrumental in their dream performance. With his ability to turn the ball both ways with an identical action, Narine is a potent weapon for Gambhir and the opposition batsmen will be wary of him.

Narine has been a part of 66 IPL matches bagging 85 wickets at a staggering average of 19 and an economy rate of 6.17.

Kuldeep Yadav

The only chinaman bowler to represent India, Kuldeep Yadav will definitely look to make this tournament a memorable one. He made his mark with an incredible performance in the 2014 Champions League from where he became a permanent fixture in the KKR squad. He doesn’t have much of an experience in playing in the IPL and has warmed the benches on most occasions. In 3 IPL matches, Kuldeep has bagged 6 wickets at an average of 16.

Making his Test debut for India against Australia in the final Test at Dharamsala, the left-arm tweaker was all over the Australian batsmen. He bamboozled the top order batsmen with some exceptional deliveries and bagged a 4 wicket haul in the very first innings.

Trent Boult

The left-arm pacer was bought by KKR in this year’s auction for a whopping 5 crores and will look to deliver in the opening clash. He is arguably the best new ball bowler for KKR and will look to provide them with the ideal start with the ball in hand.

He has the ability to give the quick breakthroughs in the power play and keep the runs at check in the end overs.

Boult was a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in the previous edition but was part of the playing XI in a solitary match. In all Boult has played 8 matches and has scalped 10 wickets at an average of 27.

Sayan Ghosh

The 24-year-old local fast bowler was bought at the IPL auction for his base price of 10 lakhs. He has the ability to bowl at pace and he might get a nod in ahead of Ankit Rajpoot in the Playing XI.

He made his first-class debut for Bengal in the 2014-15 season. In 5 first-class matches, Ghosh has bagged 19 wickets at an impressive average of 27.

He has been a part of 10 T20’s and has gone on to claim 16 wickets at an impressive average of 17.75.