The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 68 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at Eden Gardens on Saturday, May 20.
With six wins from 13 matches, the Knight Riders only have an outside chance of making it to the playoffs. They need to win by a massive margin against LSG, who have won their last two matches and come into the contest high on both form and confidence.
Kolkata, though, are riding a wave of their own. They have won three of their last four matches in the league and will not want to switch things around too much, having arrived at a settled combination.
Here is KKR's predicted playing XI for Match 68 of IPL 2023 against LSG.
Note: Playing XIs are bound to vary majorly in IPL 2023, with the introduction of the impact player rule as well as captains having the chance to name their side after the result of the toss is known.
KKR vs LSG: KKR Predicted Playing 11 vs LSG in IPL 2023
KKR have barely any scope for change in their side. Most of their players have come up with meaningful contributions in the recent past, and those who haven't are unlikely to be dropped.
Andre Russell and Sunil Narine haven't enjoyed much success in IPL 2023, but the duo have been backed through thick and thin and that is unlikely to change now. The latter even came up with a vintage bowling display in his previous game against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has failed more often than not this season, but KKR are unlikely to be coaxed into a change for the final league game of the season. The Afghan keeper-batter can be destructive on his day, especially at a venue like Eden Gardens.
Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, and Shardul Thakur have all had their moments in the last few matches, taking over from the likes of Umesh Yadav and Kulwant Khejroliya, who failed to deliver earlier in the campaign. They should retain their places in the side.
Suyash Sharma could come in as the impact player at the expense of Venkatesh Iyer. Anukul Roy is another option, but LSG have a few left-handers in their lineup.
KKR's predicted playing XI for Match 68 of IPL 2023: Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Impact player candidates: Mandeep Singh, Kulwant Khejroliya, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, N Jagadeesan.
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