Match Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Lions

In the post match press conference, Gujarat’s Dwayne Bravo hinted that his batsmen’s desire to set high targets might be the reason for their downfall. While the exact reason could possibly be a mixture of wanting to overly dominate and losing the plot in the middle-overs, the think-tank will be careful of not allowing this to become a habit going into the business end of the tournament.

Kolkata Knight Riders on the other hand have played well lately and sit pretty at the top of the table, tied on points with the Lions but with a game in hand. A win in this one will see them secure a lead in the race for top-spot, thereby making it easier for them to get two shots at the final. Kolkata’s scratchy yet hard fought victory against Kings XI exemplifies the kind of depth the team enjoys in both departments, that even after the Glenn Maxwell show, the KKR bowlers could pull the game back in their favour.

Eden Gardens continues to remain an unbreakable fortress for any visiting side, and Gautam Gambhir would want that trend to continue come Sunday.

KEY BATTLE

Dwayne Bravo vs Andre Russell: To see two of West Indies’ best all-rounders up against each other will be a delight for fans. Both Russell and Bravo have played pivotal roles in ensuring that their teams linger around the top two spots and the game is set for a Calypso showdown. It will be interesting to see whether Russell is able to counter Bravo’s extraordinary death bowling.

WATCH OUT FOR

Gambhir has been prolific with the bat

The KKR captain might not be India’s first choice opener anymore, but one can’t ignore his contributions this year. Pre-season training with Justin Langer in Australia, and modifications in his batting stance have made Gambhir fully equipped to play a wide variety of shots – reducing his vulnerability against deliveries outside off stump. His tactical nous on the field make the Knight Riders an extremely difficult opposition to face in a tight contest. Suresh Raina must watch out for his fellow Indian southpaw, and so should the others.

EXPECTED XIs

Kolkata will want to go into the contest with an unchanged side unless forced to do otherwise.

Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Shakib al Hasan, Andre Russell, Yusuf Pathan, Brad Hogg, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel

Although the Gujarat Lions’ batting has been misfiring lately, there shouldn’t be major alterations in their line-up apart from a switch between Pradeep Sangwan and leg-spinner Pravin Tambe, considering the nature of the Eden Gardens track.

Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Praveen Kumar, Shivil Kaushik, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pravin Tambe

STRAIGHT FROM TWITTER