Halfway through IPL 2022, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), with three wins in seven matches, need to set their house in order. They started the season in brilliant fashion, winning three of their first four games before suffering three straight defeats. In a quest to bring their campaign back on track, they will take on the in-form Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 35, at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday afternoon.
The lack of wickets in middle overs has been the biggest worry for Kolkata this year. With just four wickets in seven matches at 55.25, Varun Chakravarthy has had a sub-par season, while both Pat Cummins and Andre Russell have been leaking runs towards the end. Umesh Yadav's form with the new ball too has taken a dip in the last few matches. Barring Sunil Narine, almost no other Kolkata bowler has been consistent throughout the season.
With bat, Aaron Finch, Shreyas Iyer and Russell have done well in patches at various stages, but Sheldon Jackson has failed leave a mark in the four occasions when he batted. Nitish Rana, has failed more than succeeded this season. Overall, the entire Kolkata batting unit needs to come good if they wish go past an excellent bowling side like Gujarat.
The Titans, too have their own batting issues to sort out. Matthew Wade has not quite hit his straps, while Vijay Shankar has looked like a fish out out water each time he batted. Shubman Gill got 96 and 84 in consecutive matches, but apart from that, he has not made a mark either. The onus of scoring the bulk of the runs lies on captain Hardik Pandya who will return to the XI after missing out the last game, David Miller and young Abhinav Manohar.
Their bowling, however, is one of the best all-round attack in this IPL 2022. With the likes of Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami around, Gujarat should feel secure while taking on the power-packed KKR batting line-up.
Likely XIs
Kolkata Night Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Aaron Finch, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami
Fantasy tips
- Back Rashid to take wickets in the middle overs against the Kolkata power-hitters.
- Finch looked in an excellent touch in the last game against Rajasthan and should get going in this fixture too.
- Back Russell to have an all-round impact in this crunch game.
Where to watch
Live streaming of Match 34 of IPL 2022 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT) will start at 3.30 PM IST on April 20. You can watch the match on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar.