IPL 10, Match 41, KKR v RPS Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders seek playoffs berth against high flying Supergiant

The Kolkata Knight Riders have been one of the most consistent teams in the tournament this year. They have 14 points to their name and are just a win away from qualifying for the playoffs. Having said that, it is worth noting that they have been there for quite some time now. It must be quite frustrating for them to stand there and not getting the all-important win to seize the deal for the playoffs.

The KKR camp will be fancying their chances of making it big in the scene when they head back to their fortress, the Eden Gardens, for their upcoming fixture. They will take on the Rising Pune Supergiant in the key encounter that promises to be a close contest. RPS have found some sublime form in the recent few games and would take a lot of confidence going into the game. They have 12 points to their name and need two more wins to qualify for the playoffs.

The bowling had been their weak link in the early part of the season. Now, they see all their players, including the bowling lineup, peaking at the right time. The last time these two sides locked horns at Pune in the season, it was the Gautam Gambhir-led side that had upset the Supergiant. Will they return the favour by beating the Knight Riders in their own den? It will be interesting to see.

Toss: Rising Pune Supergiant won the toss and opted to field

Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Gautam Gambhir(c), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Sheldon Jackson(w), Colin de Grandhomme, Chris Woakes, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav

Rising Pune Supergiant: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Steven Smith(c), Manoj Tiwary, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni(w), Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir

Quotes from the toss:

Gautam Gambhir: We have done well. We would have bowled as well. We have played some great cricket. It was just an innings from Warner that took the game away from us. Robin’s got a niggle, so we have got Suryakumar (Yadav) in. Just a niggle but we don’t want to take any chance.

Steve Smith: We are going to have a bowl. Generally, it is a chasing ground here. He (Stokes) was magnificent the other night. No changes for us.

Focus will be on

Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf has evolved to be a very stable headed character for the Knight Riders in this edition of the IPL thus far. He has managed to be amongst the runs this season in the limited opportunities that he has got. Pathan would surely want to add more to his tally in the matches that follow. He did not get his share of batting in the last couple of matches. Considering the relatively mediocre bowling attack of the Rising Pune Supergiant, it will not be surprising to see him fancy his chances in the game to get a big score.

MS Dhoni

Former skipper MS Dhoni has been performing well enough for his team thus far. He has a fifty to his name in the season in addition to a few good starts. All of this has come at a time when his place in the shortest format of the game has been under constant scrutiny. Dhoni’s knock in the previous innings was an uncharacteristic knock where he scored at a strike rate of under 80. Hence, he will be under the shots in this game to get back to his striking best. With the gloves, his prowess remains unmatched in the tournament.

Rahul Tripathi

RPS opener Rahul Tripathi has been one of the valuable new additions to the RPS camp this season. The Pune opener, who has been in the Maharashtra cricket circuit for quite some time now, has grabbed his opportunities with both hands in the IPL this season. He has had a string of 30 plus scores in the tournament thus far and has a fifty to his name as well. Tripathi has been instrumental in giving flying starts to RPS in the powerplay. The last match was a rare failure for him was when he was run out on just 6. He would want to cover up for the low score.

Team Combinations:

Kolkata Knight Riders

The Knight Riders have had one of the most balanced lineups in the tournament thus far. Their batting does not overly rely on their overseas star power and that has helped them beef up their bowling with overseas players. Chris Woakes and Nathan Coulter-Nile have been bowling with aggression first up. Coulter-Nile, in particular, has been in the thick of wicket taking action in the tournament thus far.

Sunil Narine is arguably giving more to the team with his batting inputs at the top of the order. In the batting lineup, skipper Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa have been the consistent run-getters thus far. Manish Pandey and Yusuf also have a couple of decent knocks to their name in the season already. Sheldon Jackson is perhaps the only player not to have been amongst the runs thus far. To be fair to the Saurashtra lad, he has not got too many opportunities either.

Rising Pune Supergiant

The Rising Pune Supergiant have no reason to tinker with their winning combinations. They have won five out of their last 6 matches and would want to continue their winning momentum. Moreover, skipper Steve Smith is renowned for sticking to the same playing eleven. Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi have been doing a decent job in the top order albeit the senior of the two has been inconsistent thus far.

The middle order has got runs under their belt and looks in safe hands at the moment. In the recent games, their bowlers have also stepped up to the occasion which proves to be a handy deal for the Supergiant. Imran Tahir has been getting the ideal support from Washington Sundar in the spin department. Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat have been the wicket takers for them with the new ball and in the death as well. The addition of Dan Christian is only benefitting them an inch more.

StatAttack:

2 – Number of RPS batsmen with IPL century to their name. Ben Stokes became the second batsman from the team to score a ton in IPL after Steve Smith. On the contrary, only one batsman from Kolkata Knight Riders has achieved the feat – Brendon McCullum (now in Gujarat Lions).

3 – Number of times both the teams have faced each other. KKR have won on all the three occasions.

35 – David Warner and Gautam Gambhir have 35 fifties to their name – the most fifties in IPL history.

150 – Rahul Tripathi bats with a strike rate of 150.59 – the 7th highest in IPL 10.

473 – Number of fours hit by Gambhir in IPL – the most by any player.