Preview by Ghcalive Staff
In his autobiography, AB de Villiers described Eden Gardens as “an impressive stadium where the playing experience can be spoiled by a dead wicket and a rock-hard outfield.” Ironically, the venue’s pitches were redone the year the comment was published. Eden Gardens is the IPL’s top scoring venue this year with an average first innings score of 211. The typical strengths of Kolkata Knight Riders have been decreased, which may please de Villiers and T20 fans in general.
This season, KKR has lost three of its four home games. The last three have all been prosperous. Even if it’s true that most other teams haven’t enjoyed a happy comeback after the pandemic break and the severe reset of a massive auction, KKR’s losses stand out in a way. They have lost at home despite the efforts of their spinners, their typical power muscle, which has once again held up and been the most effective this season. But unlike prior seasons, a home triumph hasn’t come close.
KKR will compete against a team that has lately accumulated significant totals on Monday night. Against a squad that is plainly nervous at home and hasn’t yet had its pacers step up in the league, Punjab Kings will be trying to make it five straight victories. In the IPL, Punjab Kings presently have four consecutive scores of 200 or more. However, it is also true that in each of their last four games, PBKS have given up totals of 200 or more, and KKR will be aware that they have the strength to contend if this important game develops into a batting battle.
When: Monday (8 May, 2023) at 7:30 PM IST
Where: KKR vs PBKS, Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Pitch Report:
Teams batting first have won three out of the four games played at Eden Gardens so far this season. Three different times, first-batting teams have scored more than 200 runs, compared to the season’s average first-inning total of 211. Therefore, the captain who elects to bat first will seek to amass a large total and exert pressure on the opponent.
How to prepare:
The third IPL game to be played on the strip this season will take place on Pitch #4, which has been constructed for the occasion. The fact that this pitch hasn’t been watered as much as the other tracks at the location, in part due of the “unreliable weather forecast,” according to insiders, may mean that a substantially drier track is in store. That will unintentionally benefit KKR’s spin capabilities.
Because this pitch is not exactly in the heart of the square, bowlers bowling from the pavilion end will have the longest stretch of the ground to their right. The curator added that there hasn’t been much dew in Kolkata lately and that he expects the same thing to happen on game night.
Team Watch:
Kolkata Knight Riders
For KKR’s most recent game, Jason Roy and Vaibhav Arora were added to the starting lineup, and under ideal circumstances, they should keep their positions. David Wiese spent a lot of time in the goal a day before the game, but it’s not apparent who he can replace in the starting lineup. However, given that the spinner has only recorded one wicket in his previous seven outings, Sunil Narine will be under pressure to deliver.
Strategies & Matches: Rahul Chahar is the ideal opponent for Andre Russell, who has been defeated by right-arm legspin four times already this year. Russell has not yet been vanquished by the legspinner in the IPL, but so far, he has been kept in check after receiving 27 balls for only 34 runs.
Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy [Impact Player: Suyash Sharma/Anukul Roy]
Punjab Kings
Kagiso Rabada seems to be retained by PBKS on slower tracks despite his 2 for 52 performance against the Lucknow Super Giants. However, Nathan Ellis was picked to play at a well-known venue in Wankhede when he was in Chennai. The Eden Gardens will most likely proceed in the same manner.
Matchups & Tactics: The use of the short ball during games was the topic of a protracted discussion between Venkatesh Iyer and head coach Chandrakant Pandit. In the most recent game, Marco Jansen eliminated Iyer, and it wasn’t the first time the short ball had caused him pain. Arshdeep Singh would like to attack him similarly, and if it fails, he may also be concerned by Nathan Ellis’ or Kagiso Rabada’s speed. Iyer’s strike rate drops to 123 while dealing with a quick right arm.
Probable XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh [Impact Player: Nathan Ellis]
Did you realise?
To get 400 T20 wickets in his career, Andre Russell still needs three more wins.
Dhawan is hitting the ball 149 times this season, which is a record for an IPL season.
Varun created IPL history in the previous game against KKR and SRH when he successfully held off fewer than 10 runs.
Squads:
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anukul Roy, Suyash Sharma, N Jagadeesan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mandeep Singh, Tim Southee, David Wiese, Umesh Yadav, Aarya Desai
Punjab Kings Squad: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sikandar Raza, Atharva Taide, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Singh, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Gurnoor Brar
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