IPL 2019 – Match 26: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals – KKR Predicted Playing XI

After playing four consecutive games away from home, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be back in the Eden Gardens for their next encounter. The team would be looking to avenge for the super over defeat in the last game against Delhi Capitals (DC) when they take the field on Friday. In the last four matches, the Knights have won two and lost two.

They currently sit on the second spot on the points table and will be eager to get back to the winning ways after succumbing to CSK in the last match. KKR is yet to lose a home game this season and the team will look to keep this record intact. However, there is an injury scare for the Knight Riders and they might be forced to make one change.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):

Openers (Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine)

After two good knocks back-to-back, Chris Lynn suffered a failure in Chennai. Deepak Chahar bowled beautifully in the last game and got the batsman dismissed for a duck. The Australian will look forward to making up for the blip with a good score this time around.

Sunil Narine didn’t have a great outing either in the last match. He bowed out to off-spinner Harbhajan Singh after scoring six runs. With the ball, the Caribbean cricketer did a decent job. He picked up the important wickets of Shane Watson and Suresh Raina. But his team did not have too much score to defend and thus his efforts fell short.

Middle Order (Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill)

Both Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana played poorly in the last game. Despite the side being in trouble, Rana hit the ball in the air and straight to the fielder. Instead, he could have played more cautiously and rotated the strike around. Robin also got to a good start but tried to go too aggressive after the bowlers leading to disappointment.

Likewise with the skipper Dinesh Karthik. The wicket-keeper batsman could have tried to stick around and anchor the innings. But, he failed to do so. Shubman Gill had a wonderful opportunity in the last game to showcase his talent. He walked in to bat ahead of Andre Russell and had many overs left in the match. But failed to pick the googly from Tahir and was stumped out. However, all these four batsmen are sure to continue in the middle-order.

All Rounders (Carlos Brathwaite)

Andre Russell has been the backbone for KKR this season. He has always come to the rescue and has been performing exceptionally well. But, he seemed to have injured his wrist in the last match and also had troubles with his hamstring. Thus, Carlos Brathwaite will replace him. Although he is not as capable in either department, he can do the job for the team.

Bowlers (Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney)

Piyush Chawla has been doing decently well for KKR. Bowling in the powerplay, his economy rates have been good enough and he is also picking some important wickets. The biggest concern, though, is Kuldeep Yadav. All of a sudden, he seems to have lost his mojo and is finding it tough to pick wickets in the middle overs. Though, the KKR management will surely give him ample opportunities.

Even though many are not in the favour of having Prasidh Krishna in the eleven, the captain and the management seem to back his abilities. Hence, he could get another chance. Harry Gurney had a tough time in the last game but even he is expected to get one more opportunity.

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