IPL 2018, KKR vs MI: Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) probable playing XI against Mumbai Indians (MI)
After winning two matches on the trot against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, Shah Rukh Khan co-owned Kolkata Knight Riders came up short against Rohit Sharma and Co. as they lost by 13 runs to Mumbai Indians in Mumbai.
This leaves KKR with 5 wins in 10 games; they need another 3 wins in their remaining 4 ties to secure a playoffs berth. They now host Sunday's victors at their fortress, the Eden Gardens, and with difficult opponents coming up in the remaining encounters, Dinesh Karthik's side will be looking to get back on track by notching up a win on Wednesday night.
KKR though would be wary about the Mumbai side's captain and his love affair with tonight's venue. Let us now look at KKR's possible lineup for the game:
Chris Lynn: Slowly but surely Chris Lynn has improved as the tournament has progressed. Lynn is currently KKR's second highest runscorer and will be looking to get more in this game. He had a good start in the previous fixture against Mumbai but ended up playing to the set field and giving up an easy catch to Jasprit Bumrah on short fine leg.
Sunil Narine: The Trinidadian proved once again why he is so vital to this KKR side by taking the crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya on Sunday. He was sent to bat down the order last time around but expect him to be restored to his normal opening position in this game as that move clearly failed.
Robin Uthappa: The Karnataka-born player oozes class and confidence when on the pitch. He hit a well constructed 54 last time around and looked comfortable against Mumbai's spin attack. His importance in this side is reflected by the fact that his departure in the previous game led to the flurry of wickets which ultimately cost KKR the game.
Nitish Rana: The Delhi lad returned to the KKR side after missing two games due to back spasms and got some runs under his belt. Rana had a good start as he smacked a few boundaries but he looked sluggish after Uthappa's dismissal and ultimately gave his wicket away too.
Shubman Gill: After having a fantastic outing with the bat against Chennai, the KKR management thought it would be better to give Gill a chance higher up the order as he was asked to open in the last game. However, the move failed as he scored only 7 runs. Gill should be back to occupying his lower middle order position in the lineup today!
Dinesh Karthik: KKR's highest run-getter for the series, DK had a good game last time around as well. He got the runs quickly but couldn't accelerate in the fashion he would have wanted to as Kolkata fell short by 13 runs. He would be keen on not letting the same happen today.
Andre Russell: Dre Russ still looks to be struggling with his batting form a bit. Apart from his 36-ball 88 against Chennai in KKR's second game of the tournament, the Jamaican brute has not been able to finish off the job for Kolkata when required. He took 2 wickets last night and was the most economical bowler for KKR at the Wankhede Stadium.
Piyush Chawla: The leggie was not on song for KKR the last time around as he was taken for 35 runs in 3 overs. He, however, has played each of the 10 games so far and the upper echelon of the two-time IPL champs would most likely keep their faith in him once more.
Mitchell Johnson: Johnson is no longer the force that he once was. He has had a few decent games for KKR this season, including the last game against Mumbai where he gave away 25 runs off 3 overs in a high scoring encounter.
Prasidh Krishna: The right-arm seamer from Karnataka was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement for the injured Kamlesh Nagarkoti and was handed his IPL debut in the last game. Despite getting hit for 39 runs, he bowled good deliveries and was unlucky to concede boundaries off edges.
Kuldeep Yadav: Despite picking up 8 wickets in 10 matches, Kuldeep Yadav, by his impeccable standards, would have definitely wanted to contribute more towards KKR's cause. He will get his opportunity to do just that today at the Eden Gardens.
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