IPL 2019 – Match 43: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals – KKR Predicted Playing XI

Five consecutive losses in the tournament and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have placed themselves in an awkward situation now. With only four wins in ten games, the side will need to win at least three of their remaining games to stand a chance to make it to the playoffs. However, their place in the knockouts will only be secured when they will all the remaining four.

The team will be facing the Rajasthan Royals (RR) next – the same side against whom they last won in the tournament. There are quite a few issues for the home team as they head into this crucial encounter. The batting hasn’t really clicked except for Andre Russell. Also, their bowlers were blown away by the SRH batsmen in the last encounter as 160 runs were chased just in 15 overs. Since the team isn’t performing well, some changes look inevitable.

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

Openers (Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine)

Chris Lynn is scoring runs alright but isn’t scoring them in the way he usually does. Due to the failures of the middle order, the Australian is not looking to take many risks. This has resulted in him playing slow knocks. What’s worse is that he hasn’t been able to stay in the middle till the end of the innings. Thus, by the time he gets out, his strike rate only remains about 110 or 120.

The Brisbane cricketer should look to take his chances and play more shots. At the same time, he should measure the risks well and see to it that they pay off. Sunil Narine has been providing KKR with lightning starts. Yet, the middle order hasn’t been able to capitalise. The Caribbean cricketer hasn’t had a great season with the ball thus far and should look to change things around.

Middle Order (Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c)(wk), Rinku Singh)

Shubman Gill batting at number three is a very good option. He can anchor the innings, yet score at a good pace. However, there have been several demands of batting Andre Russell higher up the order in the last few days. KKR might look to bat him at number four in the upcoming match. If they do so, both Nitish Rana and Gill can’t continue at their current positions.

One of them will have to sacrifice and bat lower down the order. At the end of the day, it remains to be the management’s call and they might be even pondering over batting Russell at number five instead. Dinesh Karthik and Rinku Singh will follow next. While the skipper hasn’t done really well in the last few games, Rinku has done enough to hold onto his place in the eleven.

All Rounders (Andre Russell)

The biggest complaint with KKR is that Andre Russell hasn’t had many deliveries to face. He’s often been put into situations where he comes in with three or four overs to go in the innings. When the team is batting first, this idea has completely backfired. The Jamaican must bat higher up the order irrespective of the situation of the match. If he is fit enough, Russell would look to bowl all his four overs.

Bowlers (Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Matthew Kelly, Yarra Prithviraj)

KKR might change a few things around with their bowling department. Piyush Chawla hasn’t been at his best but is their best option available. He also adds a little depth to the batting and can score a few quick runs. Kuldeep Yadav is expected to come back into the side. The small break that he’s got would have done him a world of good.

The chinaman had time to introspect and will look forward to coming back as a better bowler. Yarra Prithviraj was highly impressive in the last game and will hold onto his spot. Matthew Kelly, the yorker specialist from Australia, might replace Harry Gurney. The English cricketer hasn’t found a great deal of success this season.

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