IPL 2022 | GT vs KKR | Match 35 Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

Kolkata Knight Riders' bowlers will look to turn things around after three back-to-back defeats when they take on the Gujarat Titans in the 35th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Saturday at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai. 

With three wins from seven games, Kolkata Knight Riders are currently in a must-win situation as the competition is heating up with each passing game. They have seven games remaining and need to win all seven of them to keep their chances alive for the playoffs.

With 6 points and a net run rate of +0.160, Kolkata is placed at the seventh spot on the points table. KKR's bowling attack has been their biggest problem so far in the tournament.

Pat Cummins has combined figures of 4-190 at an economy rate of almost 12 in the four games so far, with Varun Chakravarthy not being able to handle the middle overs. Andre Russell and Shivam Mavi look completely out of touch, while Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine have been their only reliable bowlers. Shreyas Iyer & Co need to sort out their bowling woes straight away if they have to take a chance against the Titans. 

The IPL newcomers Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, are comfortably sitting at the top of the points table with five wins from six games. They defeated the defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the previous match despite missing the services of their skipper Hardik Pandya.  

The Titans have several players in their ranks who have stepped up on occasion and won matches for GT, and that has been one of their biggest strengths so far in the tournament. 

However, they too have some batting issues to sort out at the top of the order, with Matthew Wade and Vijay Shankar looking off with the bat. Shubman Gill, who has dealt with single-digit scores in the last three games, needs to contribute more at the top. With both teams looking for a crucial win, one can expect a cracking match at Dr DY Patil on Saturday.

Match Details

Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans, Match 35

Venue: Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai

Date & Time: 23rd April at 3:30 PM IST and Local Time

Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar 

Pitch Report: The pitch at Dr DY Patil Stadium has seen the quick bowlers dominating the tournament with batters finding it tough to score runs against them in the initial hours. The batters need to spend some time in the middle before shifting gears. As it is a day game, dew will not affect the game and toss won't be a crucial factor.  

Pitch Stats [Last 5]

Matches Played: 5

Matches Won Batting First: 3

Matches Won Bowling First: 2

Average 1st Inning Score: 179

Average 2nd Inning Score: 164

Team Form [Last 5 Matches]

KKR: L L L W W

GT: W W L W W

Key Matchups

Russell vs Rashid: 48/4 at 160 SR

Finch vs Rashid: 69/2 at 153 SR 

Shreyas vs Rashid: 83/2 at 108 SR

Miller vs Cummins: 25/2 at 71 SR 

Injury Update/Players' Availability

Kolkata Knight Riders: They are expected to stick to the same playing combination. 

Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya is fit and will replace Yash Dayal in the playing eleven while Sai Sudharsan is likely to replace Vijay Shankar. 

Squads

Kolkata Knight Riders

Aaron Finch, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson (WK), Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Tim Southee, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Nabi, Sam Billings, Chamika Karunaratne, Baba Indrajith, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Pratham Singh, Abhijeet Tomar, Aman Hakim Khan, Ashok Sharma, Ramesh Kumar, Harshit Rana

Gujarat Titans

Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (C), Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, Matthew Wade, Varun Aaron, Pradeep Sangwan, Jayant Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Darshan Nalkande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Dominic Drakes, Sai Sudharsan, Noor Ahmad

Probable Playing XI:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Aaron Finch, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson (WK), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy. 

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar/Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (C), David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami.

CREX XI Suggestion

Wicket-Keeper: Sheldon Jackson

Batters: Aaron Finch, David Miller, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill

All-Rounders: Sunil Narine, Hardik Pandya

Bowlers: Mohammed Shami, Pat Cummins, Rashid Khan, Shivam Mavi

Captain: Hardik Pandya

Vice-Captain: Shreyas Iyer