Match Details
Date: May 20, 2023
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Live Ball-By-Ball Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview
In the match 68 of the Indian Premier League 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Lucknow Super Giants at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The hosts KKR will play this fixture after attaining a massive win in Chennai against CSK. Meanwhile, LSG defeated MI at home in Lucknow to improve their chances of a top four finish on the IPL points table. Currently, the Super Giants have a far better chance than the Knight Riders to make the playoffs, but they can’t take their upcoming opponents lightly in any way.
Pitch Report
Eden Gardens has been a batting paradise in the IPL for the better part of last decade. Even while the average first innings score in the tournament across seasons has been 164 at this venue, for this year’s league stage, it has risen up to 196. That’s why, the expectation of a total in the range of 180-190 is definitely not out of the question.
Team Analysis
Kolkata Knight Riders
The captain Nitish Rana and talisman Rinku Singh have been the backbone of Kolkata Knight Riders' batting lineup this IPL season. Venkatesh Iyer has been among the runs for the KKR in this year’s tournament as well. As far as the Knight Riders bowling goes, Varun Chakravarthy has been a star performer right throughout the league stage, while Sunil Narine picking up a couple of important wickets against CSK is a welcome sight for the team management.
SportsTiger Playing XI of KKR
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Jason Roy, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy (Potential Impact Substitute - Venkatesh Iyer for Suyash Sharma)
Lucknow Super Giants
Even since KL Rahul has been ruled out of Lucknow Super Giants setup for the rest of IPL 2023 season, the South African pro Quinton de Kock has taken over the mantle of scoring the all-important runs at the top of the order. Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran have been two of the most consistent batters for LSG right throughout the league season. Meanwhile, in their bowling department, Ravi Bishnoi has been the regular wicket-taker for Lucknow, while the quality performances from fast bowler Yash Thakur and Mohsin Khan aren’t going unnoticed for the franchise either.
SportsTiger Playing XI of LSG
Kyle Mayers, Quinton de Kock (wk), Deepak Hooda, Prerak Mankad, Krunal Pandya (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Ravi Bishnoi, Swapnil Singh, Mohsin Khan (Potential Impact Substitute - Yash Thakur for Prerak Mankad)
Match Prediction
Conclusion
Kolkata Knight Riders batting lineup came a cropper in their last home fixture against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens, when the pitch started to help the spinners. With Lucknow Super Giants possessing a quality spin attack, the hosts will have to give a better batting pitch to stand any chance of defeating their upcoming opponents.
Disclaimer: The fantasy tips and facts expressed within this article are the author's personal opinions. They do not reflect the views of SportsTiger. It is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
