IPL 2020: Match 28, RCB vs KKR- KKR Predicted Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won four out of their first six games in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). However, in both of their last two games, they could easily have ended on the losing side. In their previous match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Dinesh Karthik and Co got out of jail.

The Men in Gold and Purple won the match by a meagre two runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Knights are next scheduled to lock horns with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday, October 12 in Sharjah.

The Challengers, on the other hand, are also brimming with confidence after beating MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Dubai. As far as KKR are concerned, it remains to be seen if they resort to making any changes from the winning lineup.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Kolkata Knight Riders for RCB vs KKR game: 

Openers (Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill)

The Knights should be persisting with their opening combination of Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi. Gill may not be playing at a high strike-rate, but has been consistent enough for his team, scoring 220 runs at an average of 44. He also got a matured half-century in the previous game against KXIP.

Tripathi, on the contrary, had a rough time. He played and missed on many occasions and then Mohammed Shami rattled his woodwork. However, he played decently the last time when the Knights played in Sharjah. Both Shubman and Rahul will be looking to fire in the next encounter.

Middle-order (Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik (C & WK)

Dinesh Karthik’s return to form would have given the Knights a breather. He was under a lot of pressure and he responded with his 19th IPL half-century. The KKR skipper also used his bowling resources judiciously. Nitish Rana has lost a bit of momentum and he will want to make amends.

The left-hander was run out last time around. Eoin Morgan has 167 runs from six matches at an average of 41.75. In the last match, he tried to resurrect KKR’s innings after the fall of two early wickets. However, he mistimed one in the air off Ravi Bishnoi. He remains to be a vital cog in KKR.

All-rounder (Andre Russell)

Andre Russell hasn’t had the best of tournaments with the bat in hand. At an average of 11, the Jamaican has stayed quiet. In the previous game, he got out to left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh in the death overs. In the field, he dropped KL Rahul’s catch inside the mandatory powerplay.

To add insult to injury, he sustained a leg injury and didn’t bowl as well. However, his numbers against RCB are impressed. Dre-Russ averages above 50 and strikes at over 220. It goes without saying that if Russell finds his form in Sharjah, the Challengers’ bowlers could end up chasing leather.

Bowlers (Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy)

In the bowling department, the Knights have been jolted with a blow after Sunil Narine was reported for a suspect bowling action. The tweaker needs to be careful the next time he takes the field. Pat Cummins has bowled at decent economy rates, but he only has two wickets to show for his efforts.

Kamlesh Nagarkoti has been pretty impressive, but he was taken for quite a few by the KXIP batters in the last match. Karnataka’s Prasidh Krishna played his first game on Saturday and he was on top of his game, picking up three wickets. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been hard to get away as well.