KKR vs GT Toss Update: GT Opt To Bowl, KKR To Miss in-form Opener Due To Injury

GT will bowl first [Source: AP]

In a significant development, Gujarat Titans won the toss and opted to bowl first in their eighth group-stage fixture of the ongoing Indian Premier League season. As the conditions were overcast, it was a no-brainer for the Titans' skipper Hardik Pandya to have a bowl first. 

While Gujarat Titans have gone with the same squad, Kolkata Knight Riders have undergone some forced changes, as Jason Roy and Umesh Yadav will miss out on action due to minor injuries. They are replaced by Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Harshit Rana, respectively. 

Speaking at the toss, Pandya revealed that they had planned to bat, but changed their mind considering the inclement weather. He also expressed satisfaction at his team's performance in the tournament so far. 

---

ALSO READ

What is the IPL Match Today | Expected Changes, Weather Report, Head-to-Head

---

Here's what Pandya said

"We will bowl first. Nothing to do with the wicket. Just seeing the weather we are gonna bowl first. When we came here, I was thinking of batting first. But now seeing the overhead clouds we are going with the ball. I am very happy where we are right now. 7 games are done and 7 more are to go. We need to play good cricket as a group and need to do well if we want to be in the playoffs."

Meanwhile, Rana disclosed that they were anyway going to bat, irrespective of the weather. 

"I would have batted first winning the toss. There are dark clouds and Duckworth Lewis can come into play. There is always room for improvement and we are forced to make changes in every game. Umesh Yadav had a hamstring niggle so he is missing out today, Harshit Rana is playing today. Jason Roy was suffering from a back spasm today so Rahmanullah Gurbaz is back in the XI. We are hoping for 2 points today."

---

ALSO READ

'No Other Franchise or Even My Country...,' Andre Russell Takes Jibe at CWI

---

Kolkata Knight Riders playing XI: Narayan Jagadeesan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Shardul Thakur, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy

Impact Players: Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Mandeep Singh, Tim Southee, Kulwant Khejroliya

Gujarat Titans Playing XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma, Joshua Little

Impact Players: Shubman Gill, KS Bharat, Sai Sudharsan, Shivam Mavi, Jayant Yadav