KKR Predicted Playing 11 vs SRH for Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face off against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, May 21. The winner of this clash will become the first team to enter the IPL 2024 final.

KKR breezed through the league stage and finished at the top of the points table, with nine wins from 14 matches. They also recorded the highest-ever net run rate in an IPL season, indicating just how dominant they were.

Kolkata's last game was a washout, and they will have to make a forced change from the last time they took to the field this season.

KKR's squad for IPL 2024: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Phil Salt, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Allah Ghazanfar, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain.

On that note, here's KKR's predicted playing XII (including one impact sub) for Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024 against SRH.

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Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) and Sunil Narine

Phil Salt has left the IPL. Rahmanullah Gurbaz would've loved to get some match practice in by taking on the Rajasthan Royals (RR), but the game was washed out. While the Afghan keeper-batter might be a touch rusty, he will be a straightforward swap at the top of the order.

Sunil Narine is IPL 2024's premier MVP candidate, and it's easy to see why. The West Indian has been terrific with both the bat and the ball, and he will want to be at his destructive best against the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins.

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Middle Order: Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh

Nitish Rana has replaced Angkrish Raghuvanshi at the business end of the campaign, and that is expected to continue. The former KKR skipper could have a big role to play at Ahmedabad, which has long boundaries and a decent batting track.

The rest of Kolkata's middle order has been unchanged throughout IPL 2024. Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer add stability to the top five, while Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh bring power and finishing ability to the table.

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Lower Order: Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy

KKR picked Anukul Roy for the last game that ended in a washout, but they aren't likely to pick an extra spinner at Ahmedabad. Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana are expected to be the three fast bowlers, with Varun Chakaravarthy taking up spin duties alongside the ever-consistent Narine.

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KKR's predicted playing XII (inc impact sub): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Other impact sub candidates: Anukul Roy, Chetan Sakariya, Sakib Hussain, Manish Pandey, Suyash Sharma.