Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2023: Will In-Form Rahmanullah Gurbaz Get His Chance?

01.04.2023 - 05:31 sports.ndtv.com

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) kick off their campaign against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 2 of the Indian Premier League on Saturday at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

With captain Shreyas Iyer out for the tournament due to a back injury, stand-in skipper Nitish Rana will have a point or two to prove as he looks to take his team to the playoffs against all odds.

While the job won't be an easy one, head coach Chandrakant Pandit's presence could be beneficial for the franchise. Ahead of their first game of the season, here's what we think could be KKR's playing XI against PBKS: Rahmanullah Gurbaz: After being drafted to the team from Gujarat Titans, the Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter will look to get opportunities this time around.

Despite hardly played last season, Gurbaz can help KKR in sorting out their top-order issues. Venkatesh Iyer: Keeping in mind the left-right combination, Venkatesh is likely to open the innings, alongside Gurbaz.

cricket Kolkata Knight Riders Shreyas Iyer Punjab Kings Andre Russell Nitish Rana India Afghanistan county Will Kolkata

After two back-to-back defeats in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season, Kolkata Knight Riders are desperate for a win against the winless-Delhi Capitals side. Opening has been an issue for the Knight Riders in the last couple of games. With Jason Roy warming the bench, the managment might just think about giving the explosive England batter a chance at the top with the hopes of turning their fortunes around in the match against Delhi. Roy, who came into the team as a replacement for Shakib Al Hasan, is yet to feature in the 16th edition of the league.

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2023: Will Rahmanullah Gurbaz Make Way For Jason Roy?

After registering a historic win over Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders faced a 23-run defeat against SunRisers Hyderabad in a high-scoring match. Now, the Nitish Rana-led side will be taking on the five-time champions Mumbai Indians in the next IPL 2023 match on Sunday. Young batter Rinku Singh has been in a blistering form as after smashing five sixes against Gujarat Titans, he went on to score his maiden IPL half-century against SRH. It is highly likely that the team management might give a chance to Jason Roy in the match against MI.

IPL 2023: Mohit Sharma, Shubman Gill Shine As Gujarat Titans Beat Punjab Kings By Six Wickets

Gujarat Titans roared back to winning ways with a six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings after Mohit Sharma's excellent return to the IPL and Shubman Gill's 49-ball 67 on Thursday. Medium pacer Mohit marked his comeback with figures of 2/18 as holders GT restricted PBKS to 153 for eight. Playing in his first game in the league since 2020, Mohit was exceptional in the penultimate over, giving away as little as six runs. When their turn to bat came, Gill led the way with his fine half-century as GT completed the chase of 154 in 19.5 overs, four days after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Kolkata Knight Riders. Having done duty as the team's net bowler last season, Mohit, who has also played for the Indian team including in the World Cup, mixed his pace and varied his lengths well throughout his spell.

Yash Dayal, Who Was Hit For 5 Sixes By Rinku Singh, Dropped From Gujarat Titans' IPL 2023 Game Against Punjab Kings

Yash Dayal was dropped from the Gujarat Titans playing XI for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 encounter against Punjab Kings in Mohali on Thursday. The young pacer had a horrible outing in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders as Rinku Singh slammed him for five sixes in the final over to guide his team to victory. Dayal was replaced by Mohit Sharma who made his debut for the franchise. Skipper Hardik Pandya also made his return to the squad in place of Vijay Shankar.

High-Flying Kolkata Knight Riders Face SunRisers Hyderabad, Eye Hat-Trick Of Wins

On a high after Rinku Singh's phenomenal knock, Kolkata Knight Riders will be gunning for a hat-trick of victories when they face a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League at Eden Gardens on Friday. Having started off their campaign with a reversal against Punjab Kings at Mohali, KKR found two unlikely heroes in two matches to get their campaign up and running. First, it was Shardul Thakur's storm with the bat that took a star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore by surprise as the pace bowling allrounder's 29-ball 68 led KKR to their first win of the season, a dominant 81-run victory.

Gujarat Titans Predicted XI vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2023: Will Skipper Hardik Pandya Return To Steer GT?

After facing the wrath of Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh in their previous match, Gujarat Titans are all set to face Punjab Kings in their next IPL 2023 clash on Thursday in Mohali. Regular skipper Hardik Pandya had missed out on the match against KKR as he was unwell and his absence, spinner Rashid Khan took over the captaincy. KKR were chasing 205 and needed 29 off the last over, when Rinku Singh smashed five sixes off Yash Dayal and took his side a to a three-wicket win.