Predicted XI of Kolkata Knight Riders for Match 28 of IPL 2023

image-lgn0ubdvKKR [Image- IPLT20]

The 28th match of the ongoing IPL 2023 will see the Delhi Capitals lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday (April 20). KKR have won 2 out of their five games so far while Delhi are yet to open their account on the points table. It is an important match for both the sides and they would be itching to end up on a winning side at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

On that note, here's a look at the predicted playing XI of KKR:

Openers: Jason Roy & N Jagadeesan

KKR's opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and N Jagadeesan hasn't quite lived up to the expectations of the team-management.

While Jagadeesan has managed just 42 runs in 3 outings, Gurbaz too has just managed just over 100 runs (102) in 5 innings

The Knight Riders have Jason Roy in their ranks and the English opener could well replace Gurbaz in the upcoming game against DC.

Middle-order: Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh

image-lgn0q4c8

Venkatesh Iyer [Image- IPLT20]

Venkatesh Iyer scripted history in the last game (against MI) as he became the first Knight Rider after Brendon McCullum to smash a brilliant century guiding his team to a big total single-handedly.

Iyer has proved to be one of the few shining lights for KKR this season. In 5 innings, the southpaw has scored 234 and a lot will depend on his performance again.

Skipper Nitish Rana, meanwhile, has shown sparks of his brilliant strokeplay, but, as has been the case throughout his career, he has been inconsistent- 150 runs in 5 games at the strike rate of 147.06.

Rinku Singh, on the other hand, has been the talk of the town in recent times. He smashed five sixes in a row in the last over against GT to seal an unbelievable win for his side and would be looking to continue his stellar form.

All-rounders: Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur

image-lgn0rdsiRinku Singh [Image- IPLT20]

Andre Russell is yet to have a massive impact with the bat in IPL 2023, and one feels that its just around the corner. In 5 games, Dre Russ has just scored 60 runs, with spinners regularly claiming his number.

However, in the last game against MI, the West Indian swashbuckler showed glimpses of his best as he smoked an unbeaten 21 off just 11 deliveries. One can expect Russell-mania to ensue in the coming fixtures. His death bowler will also be crucial to KKR's fortunes.

If KKR have been able to win 2 games out of their first five this season, it is because of breathtaking batting assaults from Rinku Singh and Shardul Thakur.

Shardul, though, has blown hot and cold with both bat and ball thus far. In the last game, the all-rounder scored 13 (11) besides conceding 25 in 2 overs.

Bowlers: Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson & Umesh Yadav

image-lgn0slmkVarun Chakravarthy [Image- IPLT20]

Sunil Narine was taken to the cleaners by the Mumbai Indians batters in the last game as he conceded 0/41 in 3 overs. Apart from that, Narine has been decent as usual for the franchise- 6 wickets in 5 games.

But, without a doubt, its Varun Chakravarthy, who has been the leader of KKR bowling attack. In 5 games, the mystery spinner has claimed 7 wickets. He is one wicket away from claiming 50 IPL scalps, something he'd be looking to achieve against DC.

The pace department will once again be led by Umesh Yadav and Lockie Ferguson, and KKR will hope that the duo put up a better show than they have so far this season.

Both Umesh and Lockie have looked way below par in this season, regularly leaking runs without accounting for too many wickets. While Ferguson has taken just 1 wicket at the expense of 96 runs, Umesh has also managed a solitary scalp for his 129 runs across 5 outings.

Impact Players

  • Mandeep Singh
  • David Wiese
  • Anukul Roy
  • Vaibhav Arora
  • Suyash Sharma