Kolkata Knight Riders will face Gujarat Titans in the 39th match of the IPL. Both teams will face each other on Saturday (April 29) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In this match, captain Hardik Pandya's team Gujarat will look to avenge the previous defeat against Kolkata. Kolkata defeated Gujarat in the last over with the help of Rinku Singh's stormy batting. Rinku had won Kolkata by hitting five sixes in Yash Dayal's last over in Ahmedabad.
The Gujarat team can reach the top
The team of Gujarat Titans is in the third position in the points table. He has 10 points in seven games. Gujarat has won five matches. He has faced defeat in only two matches. If they beat Kolkata, they will reach the top. Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, who are in first and second place, also have 10-10 points.
Kolkata looking for a fourth win
Kolkata Knight Riders have got only three wins in eight matches so far. He has faced defeat in five matches. Kolkata has six points in its account. He is looking for his fourth win. This will be Kolkata's ninth match. If it manages to defeat Gujarat, it can leave behind Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore to reach the fifth position. In the event of a loss, it will be difficult for him to reach the playoffs.
Shardul may return
Talking about the Kolkata team, experienced fast bowler Shardul Thakur may return to the team. He missed the last match due to injury. However, Shardul practiced in Bengaluru. Now he is ready to play the match. If he returns, Vaibhav Arora may have to sit out. The Kolkata team can also drop Umesh Yadav for Shardul. Umesh has been able to get only one wicket so far.
Shardul's record against Shubman is excellent
Shardul Thakur's record against Shubman Gill is excellent. He has got Gill out twice. This Gujarat opener could score only 36 runs in 32 balls against Shardul. Same, Kolkata's experienced spinner Sunil Narine has dismissed Wriddhimana Saha four times. In such a situation, captain Nitish Rana would like to bowl with Naren and Shardul at the beginning of the match.
Hardik will not change!
Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya would not like to make any changes in the playing-11. If a player gets injured then only he would want to take a different decision. Hardik's team has won the last two matches.
Possible playing-11 of both the teams
Kolkata Knight Riders: N Jagadishan (wk), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakraborty.
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmed, Mohit Sharma.
(PC freepik)
