KKR Predicted Playing 11 vs LSG for Match 28 of IPL 2024
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 28 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 14.
With three wins in four matches, the Knight Riders are sitting pretty in the IPL 2024 standings in second place. They are on the back of a defeat, though, and will want to get back to winning ways at the earliest.
A couple of KKR players have returned to training from their respective injuries, and we might see a few minor tweaks in the side on Sunday.
KKR's squad for IPL 2024: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Phil Salt, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Allah Ghazanfar, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain.
Here's KKR's predicted playing XII (including one impact sub) for Match 28 of IPL 2024 against LSG.
Openers: Phil Salt (wk) and Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine was visibly struggling with his shoulder during KKR's fixture against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). While there is no word on whether he'll be able to bat freely, it's safe to expect the West Indian to push through the barrier and continue being his destructive best at the top of the order.
Meanwhile, Phil Salt, who is on the back of two failures, will want to return to his destructive self.
Middle order: Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, and Rinku Singh
KKR have a bunch of power and experience in their middle order. Nitish Rana has returned to training, and they could decide to field the southpaw at Ramandeep Singh's expense to give themselves a bit more stability.
Ramandeep hasn't done too much wrong, but Rana is one of the team's sure starters. And with Angkrish Raghuvanshi impressing, the fast-bowling all-rounder might be the most expendable player in the side.
Kolkata will need to be careful with their entry points if they replace Ramandeep with Rana since the southpaw is best suited to batting in the middle overs, where there are already plenty of options.
The rest of the middle order is expected to wear a similar look.
Lower order: Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Suyash Sharma
Harshit Rana is another player who has returned to training, but KKR might be a bit more careful with him. The fast bowler is still in the early days of his career, and Kolkata wouldn't want a repeat of what happened to the likes of Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti.
Vaibhav Arora has done well in Harshit's absence. He, along with Mitchell Starc, will make up the pace department. Meanwhile, Varun Chakaravarthy and Narine will be the frontline spinners.
Suyash Sharma has found it tough to come in as an impact player, with others being preferred on occasion. However, Sunday could be the leg-spinner's day, with this being an afternoon fixture.
KKR's predicted playing XII (inc impact sub): Phil Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Suyash Sharma.
Other impact sub candidates: Anukul Roy, Chetan Sakariya, Sakib Hussain, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh.