KKR vs LSG Preview: Kolkata, Lucknow eager to get back on winning track

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) square off in match 28 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday, April 14 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

KKR is placed at No. 2 on the points table after winning three matches and losing just one. Their only defeat came against Chennai Super Kings in their last game. Meanwhile, LSG have played one more game and have three wins and two losses under their belt. KL Rahul and Co. won three games in a row before suffering a loss against Delhi Capitals in their most recent fixture.

KKR’s legendary duo of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell have been in great form. They have strikes strike rates of 189.41 and 212.96 respectively in IPL 2024. However, the form of skipper Shreyas Iyer and Mitchell Starc would be a concern for the former two-time champions.

The likes of Quinton de Kock and Nicholas Pooran have produced some excellent performances for Lucknow this season. They are the leading run-getters for the franchise in IPL 2024. KL Rahul has not been at his best but his knock against Delhi in the last game should give him some confidence. Mayank Yadav, who took six wickets in his first two games, is expected to miss this fixture. However, fellow young pacer Yash Thakur has shown promise and has bagged seven wickets from four games at 20.29.

Head to Head

Lucknow have a clean slate in the head-to-head scoreline against the Knight Riders as they have won all three matches against the Men in Purple and Gold so far.

Pitch Report

Lucknow batters won’t mind playing at the Eden Gardens as the historic venue produces great batting pitches where a lot of runs can be scored. The average first-innings score at Eden Gardens last year was 193. In the first game played at this ground this season between KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad, both teams scored over 200 runs. KKR defended a 209-run target successfully but they won by only four runs.

Probable Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Philip Salt, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Impact Sub – Anukul Roy

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

KL Rahul (C), Quinton de Kock, Devdutt Padikkal/Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Arshad Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur, Impact Sub – Manimaran Siddharth