Mumbai: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is expected to stick to a risk-taking strategy when they take on the Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League (IPL 2022) match on Friday, even if it has yielded mixed results so far. be. In the previous match, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered a three-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), although the team managed to close the match despite a low score.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) started their campaign with a win and the team will be hoping for better performance from their bowlers as they conceded more than 200 runs in their first match. South African pacer Kagiso Rabada is expected to play after completing his three-day quarantine, which will give a boost to Punjab’s attack. Only two matches have been played on the Wankhede pitch and looking at them, batting has not been easy. This may be just the beginning for the two-month long IPL but the toss is already playing a vital role in the outcome of the match as dew is affecting the second innings of the match.
Kolkata opener Ajinkya Rahane and aggressive Venkatesh Iyer were dismissed cheaply against RCB, so both of them will now try to get the team off to a strong start. Captain Shreyas Iyer may have failed against RCB but he is in good form and a key player for the team but will need the support of other teammates like Nitish Rana. Consistent performance will be crucial for left-hander Rana. Apart from these two, the responsibility of the middle order will be on the shoulders of Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson and ‘big hitter’ Andre Russell.
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There are batsmen in KKR’s line-up who can tear apart any attack and the team management will hope that they all perform in unison against Punjab. Talking about the bowling, fast bowler Umesh Yadav was brilliant with the new ball in both the matches. New Zealand’s experienced bowler Tim Southee will also have to play an important role. For the Kolkata team, however, the matter of concern will be the form of spinner Varun Chakraborty, who will have to make a comeback soon.
A lot for Punjab will depend on its top three players – captain Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan and Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa played a match winning innings against RCB. Head coach Anil Kumble, however, would be hoping for more contributions from the middle-order as Odeon Smith and Shah Rukh Khan proved their mettle by scoring runs for their side against RCB.
It remains to be seen whether U-19 World Cup star Raj Bawa will get another chance as he failed in his IPL debut. Punjab bowlers Sandeep Sharma, Arshdeep Singh and Odion Singh will have to improve their game against KKR. Even eight overs from the spin duo of Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar can make a difference in the match.
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Abhijit Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Inderjit, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakraborty, Aman Khan, Andre Russell , Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammad Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narayan, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson.
Punjab Kings:
Mayank Agarwal (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shah Rukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odeon Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Hrithik Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Tayde, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.
Match Time: From 7.30 pm onwards.