Things are getting back on track for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2020. They have five wins in nine games, enough to be in the top four at the moment. KKR got away with one in the last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a close encounter. The game ended in a tie and a super-over was required to decide the winner, in which KKR emerged as victorious. Lockie Ferguson came into the playing XI and won his team the game in fine fashion. Kolkata will face an uphill task against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday at Abu Dhabi. RCB thrashed KKR in the reverse encounter a week ago. KKR can make changes in their playing XI to pose a tougher challenger this time around.
Here is a look at the KKR Predicted XI against RCB:
Rahul Tripathi: His batting position was not confirmed in the KKR lineup but Sunil Narine’s regular failures ensured his place at the top of the order. Rahul Tripathi, who batted as low as 8 against DC, is a designated opener and scored a match-winning 81 against Chennai. He got a good start against Hyderabad but failed to convert it into a big knock.
Shubhman Gill: He is the most prolific run-scorer for KKR in IPL 2020 . Gill looked solid at times but his inability to strike the ball in the powerplay raised so many questions. He took 37 balls for his 36-run knock against Hyderabad. Gill has to give his team a fast start against RCB.
Nitish Rana: Nitish Rana comes at number three for Kolkata but failed to fulfil the needs. His form is inconsistent and has seen throwing away good starts. He started the season in fine fashion but has failed to maintain the same form.
Eoin Morgan: The newly appointed KKR skipper didn’t look in his element against Sunrisers Hyderabad and was struggling to middle the ball before the last over. He was batting slowly initially and managed 34 runs in 23 balls. A great deal of expectations lies upon his shoulders and he has to deliver quickly.
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Dinesh Karthik: Dinesh Karthik off-loaded the burden by stepping away from captaincy and made way for Eoin Morgan. He looked good while batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad and gave his team a final push. Karthik’s 14-ball 29 runs took Kolkata to a respectable total of 163 in 20 overs.
Sunil Narine: Sunil Narine has cleared his bowling action and is off the warning list. In all likelihood, he will replace off-color Andre Russell, who has had his fare share of injuries. Narine looked close to his former self in recent matches, where he troubled batsmen to score runs. He will be a player to watch out for during the game against RCB.
Pat Cummins: KKR can give Pat Cummins another go despite him not being among the wickets. He took his third wicket of this season during the SRH game. He looked more comfortable with the bat than with the ball. However, Cummins will be eager to turn things around at the fag end of the league.
Shivam Mavi: The young Indian pacer bowled well against SRH and dismissed Abdul Samad. Mavi’s rapid pace and variations towards the death overs have troubled the batsman. Despite going for runs he has a neck of taking wickets.
Kuldeep Yadav: Kuldeep Yadav made a comeback in the playing XI against SRH and bowled well despite not taking any wicket. He bowled three overs and leaked just 18 runs and contained SRH batsmen from scoring freely.
Lockie Ferguson: Lockie Ferguson replaced Chris Green in the playing XI and won the game for KKR singlehandedly. He grabbed three wickets and sucked the life out of SRH’s batting lineup. Once the game went into the super-over, he dismissed David Warner and Abdul Samad within two balls. He will be a key player against RCB as well.
Varun Chakravarthy: Varun Chakravarthy is the most consistent player in the KKR team. He has taken seven wickets so far this season at an economy rate of just over seven. He dismissed dangerous-looking Jonny Bairstow in the last game and conceded 32 runs in his four overs.
KKR Predicted XI against RCB: Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy
Source: IPLT20.com