Predicted XI of Kolkata Knight Riders for Match 9 of IPL 2023

image-lg3o3pitAndre Russell and Venkatesh Iyer batting for KKR (Source: BCCI/IPL)

After a close defeat against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their first game, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be looking to redeem themselves when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ninth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) that will be played at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Kolkata needs to address their struggle with the bat if they want to overcome early jitters in the tournament. Skipper Nitish Rana has to step up with bat along with other superstars who couldn't deliver last time with the ball.

Therefore, we have predicted the playing XI of the Knight Riders who can take the field against RCB.

Here's the predicted XI for Kolkata Knight Riders against the Royal Challengers Bangalore

Openers

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) & Venkatesh Iyer

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was brilliant in the last game with a short opening cameo as he could only manage 22. However, he is expected to come well in this game as the potential to play big innings is there.

Talking about his opening partner, instead of Mandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer should join him in this game after coming in as an impact player in the previous encounter.

Middle Order Batters

Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur & Sunil Narine

KKR's biggest issue is its unorganised middle order which seriously needs to be defined. Rana should bat at his natural number three position along with Rinku Singh and Andre Russell at four or five. In the lower middle order, Shardul Thakur and Sunil Narine are pretty much apt to score runs quickly in the end.

They could easily send Venkatesh Iyer in the middle but that could disturb the already disturbed combination. Additionally, Mandeep Singh could be brought in as an impact player if needed.

Bowlers

Lockie Ferguson, Anukul Roy, Umesh Yadav & Varun Chakravarthy

Tim Southee played the last match but conceded 54 runs in his four overs which could prompt the management to go ahead with the express pace of Lockie Ferguson. Varun Chakravarthy can complement Sunil Narine very well with the ball as they both can make it a mystery for the batters.

Anukul Roy could come in handy with both bat and ball as seen in the previous game when he was promoted up the order. Apart from all this, Umesh Yadav's skidding deliveries could prove to be lethal upfront.

With around seven bowling options, they have a plethora of resources available but need to manage them efficiently. 

Five Impact Players

The quality of batters is there to see but who comes when remains the question. Therefore, Narayana Jagadeesan or Mandeep Singh could be brought in when required. Other options could be Vaibhav Arora with the ball along with Suyash Sharma.

  • N Jagadeesan
  • Vaibhav Arora
  • Mandeep Singh
  • David Wiese
  • Suyash Sharma