Predicting Kolkata Knight Riders’ playing XI for their match against Punjab Kings

The Kolkata Knight Riders, led by Shreyas Iyer have been doing extremely well so far in IPL 2024. They are positioned in the 2nd as far as the points table is concerned and on Friday, when they take on the Punjab Kings, they will be looking for two more points to put themselves in a comfortable spot heading into the business end of the league. 

Here, we look at KKR’S probable playing XI for the game:

Sunil Narine:

Narine has been KKR’s revelation for this season. He is currently the team’s leading run-scorer with a blistering strike rate of over 187. His bowling has also been excellent as he has kept things extremely quiet for oppositions.

Phillip Salt:

Salt has had a mixed bag this season. He possesses immense talent and explosive hitting power, as evidenced by his quick fire knocks. However, consistency has been an issue. He has fallen cheaply in a few games, impacting KKR’s early momentum. Salt needs to convert his starts into bigger scores more consistently.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi:

This young talent has shown glimpses of his power-hitting in the few opportunities that he has received and he also seems to have the composure to make the most out of his skills.

Shreyas Iyer:

Iyer’s captaincy has been commendable, but his batting hasn’t quite reached its peak yet. He’s shown flashes of brilliance with a couple of good knocks but he will be looking for a big knock soon. 

Venkatesh Iyer:

Venkatesh Iyer hasn’t quite found his rhythm this season. While he possesses explosive hitting power, he hasn’t been able to translate it into big scores consistently.

Rinku Singh:

Despite limited opportunities in terms of time in the middle, Rinku Singh has looked impressive with his clean hitting and ability to accelerate the scoring rate in the death overs. KKR will benefit if he gets to face more balls against PBKS.

Andre Russell:

A vital cog in the KKR batting lineup, Russell has been extremely good so far this season, with both bat and bowl. He is a huge asset for the two-time champions and they will hope that he maintains his form as the tournament is slowly moving to its business end.

Ramandeep Singh: 

Ramandeep Singh has got very few opportunities but he has made the most out of them. He has played a couple of high-impact knocks and one of them came in the previous game against RCB. That innings turned out to be a match-winning one and his form bodes well for the Knights.

Mitchell Starc:

Starc’s performance has been a concern for KKR this season. He’s been expensive with the ball, leaking runs at a high rate. His wicket-taking ability hasn’t been at its usual best either. A significant turnaround is needed from Starc. He needs to rediscover his lethal pace and swing, aiming for a more economical bowling spell with crucial wickets.

Harshit Rana:

Rana has been a dependable bowler for KKR, having picked up wickets at crucial junctures. He has covered well for Mitchell Starc and his skill-set is something that will delight not only KKR fans but Indian fans as well.

Suyash Sharma:

Suyash Sharma didn’t have a great game against RCB but he has the skills to give the best of batters a run for their money. He was extremely impressive last season but the nature of pitches this season has meant that he has got limited opportunities. The youngster will be looking to make the most out of the chance that he gets against Punjab.

Impact Substitute: Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy is a vital spinner for KKR, known for his varied deliveries and wicket-taking prowess. He has been bowling well but there is a lot of scope for improvement in terms of accuracy and Chakravarthy will be looking to execute his skills better come the game against Punjab.

For more exclusive updates Visit BJSports to access Exclusive News that is only for you, incisive analysis, and updates, and to keep up with all of the latest information on your remarkable cricket favorite players and teams. To ensure you never miss out, join in on the fun right away!