IPL 2019 – Match 35: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – KKR Predicted Playing XI

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have slipped down to the lower half of the points table after the hattrick of losses in the last three games. KKR lost two of these matches while playing at home which is dispiriting. The side batted first in all these games and this seems to be a massive issue for them. At the end of eight games, they have won four and have 8 points to their tally in this edition’s Indian Premier League (IPL).

Since the tournament is almost reaching the business end, it is important for Dinesh Karthik and his men to find back the winning ways soon. They will be up against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their next conquest. Going into this game, the Knights have got a few injury scares. But can they afford to make changes to their eleven?

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

Openers (Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine)

The Kolkata Knight Riders will continue with Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn as the opening pair. The Australian cricketer seems to have found his touch back and enjoys playing at the Eden Gardens. Lynn has scored 82 runs off 51 balls in the last match against CSK which was just a touch over 50 per cent of the team’s score.

Sunil Narine, on the other hand, hasn’t been quite consistent with the bat. However, on his day, he can blow any opposition away. He has been also bowling decently enough and the skipper has been using him to bowl the critical overs of the match. He’ll be having a massive role going ahead in the tournament.

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

KKR looked to be a very strong team at the start of the tournament because of the way Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana played. But both of them were disappointing in the last few matches. While Uthappa is throwing away the good start in a quest to play aggressive cricket, Rana has hardly been anywhere close to his best. Batting first, these two are the backbones for the team and they need to set the platform for someone like Andre Russell to finish.

Dinesh Karthik as well hasn’t been at his best this season. He is yet to play a big knock and is getting out after getting the starts. He is the leader of the side and needs to take the responsibility of putting his team in a good position. Shubman Gill is a curious case in the KKR lineup. Even though he has done well opening, the slot doesn’t seem to be available in all the games. Lower down the order, he has got very limited opportunities.

All Rounders (Andre Russell)

Andre Russell has got issues with his hamstring and wrists. Moreover, he was hit on the neck during one of the practice sessions and he immediately fell onto the ground. However, he is a must in the KKR eleven and also irreplaceable. He has been playing with several niggles all this while and might continue to do in the next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore as well.

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

The wrist spinners have been the biggest concern for KKR this season. Even though Piyush Chawla bowled well initially in the last match, he failed to keep the pressure going. He conceded 32 runs in 3.2 overs and picked up two wickets. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav’s performance was even worse comparatively. The chinaman gave away 28 runs in 3 overs and couldn’t dismiss a single batsman.

Prasidh Krishna has done decently well in the last two games. He hasn’t leaked runs as he used to do before and should find a place in the eleven once again. Harry Gurney might get another chance before KKR decided to have a look at someone like a Matthew Kelly, who was impressive for the Perth Scorchers in the 2018-19 edition of the Big Bash League (BBL).

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