The first match of the Saturday doubleheader, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Gujarat Titans (GT) is set to take place at the DY Patil Stadium. The afternoon fixture will see two teams with contrasting forms battle it out. While GT will be aiming to regain the top spot, KKR, who already has a decent NRR, will look for an entry into the top four. After a decent start to the tournament, KKR has lost its way, registering a hat-trick of losses. On the other hand, GT continues to dominate the points table by winning 5 out of their 6 matches with their only loss coming against SRH. Will KKR get back to winning ways? Take a look at the detailed pre-match report of the 35th of IPL 2022, KKR vs GT.
GT probable XI
Shubman Gill seemed to have finally found the form the team was looking for but soon lost his way. The Aussie opener Matthew Wade had a niggle and wasn’t very impressive in the matches he played either. The only thing Vijay Shankar has been consistently doing is failing his team despite the number of opportunities he was given. Thanks to the heroics from the middle order, GT has somehow managed to win matches. Hardik Pandya has successfully made the selectors turn their heads towards him with his blistering knock against RR, which also came at the same venue. The batting extravaganza put up by David Miller in the last match will surely give tremors in the KKR huddle today. Rashid Khan has a good record against KKR all-rounder Andra Russell, picking him up thrice in 30 balls. Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Shami have been in decent form and are sure to trouble the KKR batsmen in the initial overs.
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Playing XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal
Players to watch out for: Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson, David Miller
Position: 2nd (played 6, won 5, lost 1, NRR +0.395)
KKR probable XI
After losing three consecutive matches, KKR will be desperate for a win today. Venkatesh Iyer has disappointed the team on every occasion his contribution was required, except for on behalf century. Similar to Hardik Pandya, KKR’s skipper Shreyas Iyer has been contributing well to the team, but in a losing cause. The KKR bowlers have looked in good shape in the earlier stages and have found it difficult to stick to their lines and lengths. Though Sunil Narine hasn’t been among the wickets, he was economical unlike the rest of his teammates. On average, KKR’s bowlers have conceded runs at an economy above 10 in the last couple of matches. The only positive is Nitish Rans’s optimistic approach against the bowlers, who had a strike of over 145 this season.
Playing XI: Venkatesh Iyer, Aaron Finch, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
Players to watch out for: Aaron Finch, Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins
Position: 7th (played 7, won 3, lost 4, NRR +0.160)
DY Patil Stadium records
Out of the 12 matches played here this season, 5 matches have been won by teams batting first. Chasing teams have had more success here. The average first innings score here is 172, which means a high scoring match is expected today. The pitch has partially assisted the spinners, which gives chance for the likes of Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy to fire up.
What to expect
Being an afternoon match, the danger of dew will be minimised compared to the evening matches. A first innings score of 170-180 is expected and chasing teams might have to sweat it out given the dew conditions which favour the bowlers.
Enjoy the KKR vs GT match and stay tuned for more IPL 2022 updates!
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