IPL 2022: Match 41 – Predicted Kolkata Knight Riders XI vs Delhi Capitals

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be up against the Delhi Capitals (DC) for the second time this season in their next contest of IPL 2022 scheduled at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Shreyas Iyer & Co. are on a losing spree as they have lost all of their last four games, thereby falling to the eighth spot in the points table.

KKR is desperately looking for a win on board, skipper Shreyas has been trying to make changes to his combination to get it straight, but nothing seems to be working for him. Though they have a strong middle-order, their opening combination is a concern. The openers haven’t managed to put up many runs in the previous games, and thus there might be changes in the top order.

Here’s the predicted Playing XI of Kolkata Knight Riders for Match 41 of IPL 2022:

Openers: Ajinkya Rahane & Sam Billings

With Venkatesh Iyer being unable to score many runs at the top order, Ajinkya Rahane’s chances of coming back into the side have increased. Rahane was doing a decent job as the opener and had scored a good knock against CSK in the inaugural game of this season. KKR will look for his experience in the team to end their losing streak.

Since there has not been any update on Aaron Finch’s recovery, KKR will have to try Billings at the top of the order yet again. The wicketkeeper-batter has the experience of being in IPL for a long time now and can put that to display to give his team a strong start.

Middle Order: Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh

The middle-order keeps getting stronger for the side, but their ability to handle pressure is the main question under consideration. Shreyas Iyer has played some crucial knocks in the previous games so far and, almost led his team to victory against the Rajasthan Royals before Yuzvendra Chahal got the better of him. He scored a half-century against DC during their previous encounter but ended up on the losing side.

Nitish Rana was also good with the bat in KKR’s previous clash against DC. His partnership with Iyer gave a ray of hope after DC posted 215 runs in the first innings. But he hasn’t been consistent and thus will have to regain his form. Rinku Singh impressed everyone with the bat when he was brought into the game for the first time this season against the Gujarat Titans, he played some beautiful shots and hit four fours and a six to add 35 runs in 28 balls before being dismissed.

All-Rounders: Sunil Narine & Andre Russell

The Caribbean superstars have always proved to be an important asset for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Andre Russell’s impressive cameo with the ball in the last over of the match against GT proved to be terrific for KKR as he conceded just five runs scalping four wickets. Be it with the bat, or the ball, the big man always looks to deliver his best.

Narine, the mystery spinner, has been impressive with the ball and has been the most economical bowler for his side. He has opened the innings for his team in the past couple of matches and has failed miserably. His finishing skills will be valued more than his opening skills in the upcoming games.

Bowlers: Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy

Tim Southee and Umesh Yadav will lead the attack, as the two experienced bowlers will look to bring in their A-game. Yadav has been successful in getting the crucial breakthroughs in the powerplay and he would love to repeat the same for his team in the upcoming match against the DC. Southee has scalped eight wickets in just three innings, and Yadav has 11 wickets in the eight innings that he has played so far.

Shivam Mavi has been a bit expensive with the ball, the youngster has conceded 144 runs in just 14 overs that he has bowled in the four games he played, so far. Varun Chakravarthy has also not been in a great form, as compared to his 2021 heroics. He has been struggling to get wickets and lands up giving away extra runs. Mavi and Chakravarthy bowling economically will help their team in a lot many ways and the two can emerge as the mystery bowlers of their side.

KKR predicted playing XI against DC: Ajinkya Rahane, Sam Billings (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.