IPL 2024: Predicting 3 players who could score the most runs in today's KKR vs LSG match

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be looking to bounce back from their last defeat when they take on the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 28 of the ongoing IPL 2024 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, April 14.

The Shreyas Iyer-led side started their campaign with three straight wins. KKR's batting, however, faltered in the previous game against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), leading to their first loss of the season. Notably, this will be KKR's first of the five consecutive games at their home ground.

Lucknow, meanwhile, will also head into the encounter on the back of a defeat against the Delhi Capitals (DC). They are currently fourth on the points table with three wins in five games.

The Eden Gardens in Kolkata offered a lot of runs in the last IPL 2024 game at the venue. The same could be expected today as well. However, spinners could also have their say, with the game scheduled to take place in the afternoon.

On that note, let's take a look at three players who could score the most runs in today's KKR vs LSG match.

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#3 Phil Salt (KKR)

Phil Salt acknowledging his fifty for KKR

Coming in as a replacement player for Jason Roy, Phil Salt has been decent at the top of the order for KKR. The Englishman has kept Rahmanullah Gurbaz out of the playing XI as well due to his reputation as a hard-hitting opener.

Although Salt endured a duck in the previous game against CSK, he has operated at a strike rate of around 140. The last time he played in Kolkata, Salt scored a half-century. He would be looking to get amongst runs once again on a track he would like to bat on.

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#2 Nicholas Pooran (LSG)

Nicholas Pooran vs Kolkata Knight Riders last season

Nicholas Pooran got dismissed on a first-ball duck against DC when he got a ripper from Kuldeep Yadav that bamboozled the left-hander. However, that was a one-off poor outing for Pooran, who has been spectacular so far this season.

The Caribbean maestro has accumulated 178 runs at a great average and strike rate of 89.00 and 167.92, respectively. Pooran is one of the most fearsome strikers going around in T20 cricket. He also enjoys a stellar record at the Eden Gardens, having scored 242 runs at a strike rate of over 150 in just four innings at the venue.

While KKR will throw their three-spin attack against Pooran, it will be interesting to see how the LSG southpaw will handle the situation.

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#1 KL Rahul (LSG)

KL Rahul slicing one away over covers

A player, who is known for scaling up mountainous runs, KL Rahul will be itching to do well today. While the LSG skipper is yet to be dismissed on a single-digit score in IPL 2024, he has scored 165 runs at an average of 33.00 and a strike rate of just below 138.

While these are decent numbers for other batters, Rahul won't be satisfied with his returns. The KKR clash, however, will give me a fresh opportunity to walk the talk for his side. His ability to play both spin and pace effectively makes him a threat against any bowling attack.

Moreover, the ball seems to hit the bat nicely at Eden Gardens, which might tempt Rahul to play his expansive shots, especially when the ball is new. If he can get a good start and capitalize on the batting-friendly conditions, he's poised to have a memorable outing against KKR today.