Indian Premier League 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans – 39th Match Preview and Updates

Cricket

KKR will be confident heading into this game after a win in Bangalore in which they made a comeback in every department.

Kolkata had conceded 235 runs against CSK in their previous home game and lost by 49 runs while chasing the total. Jason Roy looks in good form, and he helped set up a 200-run total at Chinnaswamy.

Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, have momentum on their side thanks to consistent performances across the board. Abhinav Manohar is a promising middle-order batsman for GT.

Rahul Tewatia is an exciting finisher to watch in this game as he continues to do what he does best in the death overs. Gujarat Titans are far superior in terms of form and consistency, and they will have the upper hand in this match.

The 39th Match between Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans will take place on April 29th, 2023 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Match Details to Note

Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans, 39th Match, Indian Premier League 2023

Date: April 29, 2023 (Saturday)

Time: 3:30 PM IST

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans

Kolkata Knight Riders (Match Odds – 2.05):

Preview:

So far, KKR has only won one of their three home games. This season, they haven’t appeared at ease at Eden Gardens. Nitish Rana and the Titans will be hoping to avoid a hat-trick of defeats at this venue.

Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, and Sunil Narine will be key spin bowlers for KKR. This year, Narine and Sharma have the most promising bowlers in the KKR lineup.

The pacers aren’t in top form, but Russell’s recent performance against RCB is a ray of hope for the Knight Riders. Jason Roy has scored two consecutive fifties, demonstrating his versatility as an opener and at number five.

Venkatesh Iyer’s form has deteriorated since his hundred. In his last three innings, he has scored 31, 20, and 0 runs, with a strike rate of 119. At the top of the order, N Jagadeesan has been a huge disappointment.

Nitish Rana demonstrated intent and scored some crucial runs in the previous match. He’ll be a key figure in the middle order. Overall, the batting lineup has been wildly inconsistent, making KKR extremely untrustworthy.

Full Squad:

Nitish Rana (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N. Jagadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das, Mandeep Singh, Shakib Al Hasan

Players to watch out for:

Jason Roy

The English opener has led the Kolkata Knight Riders in scoring in all three of his appearances since being called up.

Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana has scored 229 runs in the tournament, including 48 off 21 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Varun Chakravarthy

The spinner took crucial wickets in the middle order on Wednesday. Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, and Dinesh Karthik were all fired.

Possible Playing XI:

N Jagadeesan (wk), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Vaibhav Arora, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Gujarat Titans (Match Odds – 1.78):

Preview:

GT appeared to struggle at home early in the season. Gujarat Titans won their next game at home after a brilliant comeback against LSG in which they defended a total of 135.

They were up against a strong MI batting lineup and were defending a 207-run total that they had previously failed to defend at the same venue.

This time, Hardik’s men were confident and easily dispatched the opposition’s batting order. Hardik Pandya is a key bowler for GT, consistently bowling at 145 km/h.

Noor Ahmed, an 18-year-old left-arm chinaman bowler, has shown great promise and is one to watch. Mohammad Shami makes the most of the GT bowling attack. GT has a significant advantage due to his experience and skill.

Shubman Gill and Saha are doing well at the top, and while Hardik Pandya is also in good form, we believe Vijay Shankar will be a liability for GT if these key batters fail to deliver.

Hardik must be pleased with Abhinvav Manohar, who came to the party against MI and produced some excellent shots against pace. In the lower order, there are players like Miller and Tewatia who can finish on a high note. To replace Vijay Shankar, GT should consider Sai Sudharshan or Srikar Bharat.

Full Squad:

Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R. Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Kane Williamson, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma

Players to watch out for:

Shubman Gill

With an average of 40.57 from seven innings in the IPL 2023, the stylish right-handed batter has had another successful competition.

Mohammed Shami

In the win over Mumbai Indians, the right-arm pace bowler was the most accurate of any player on both sides. He only gave up 18 runs in four overs.

Rashid Khan

No bowler in the tournament has taken more wickets than the Afghanistan spinner, who is averaging a dismissal every 12 balls.

Possible Playing XI:

Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans Head to Head

Gujarat Titans defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by eight runs in their first meeting last April. Kolkata, on the other hand, won by three wickets earlier this month in Match 13.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans Head to Head Stats in IPL

	Matches Played	KKR Won	GT Won	Tie	NR
Overall	2	1	1	0	0

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans Toss Prediction

While teams batting second have won 47 of the 82 T20s played on this ground, all of the matches this season have been won by teams batting first. Given their current bat and ball form, GT would be at ease either way. However, KKR should bat first because they are not in a position to chase down a large total.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans Pitch Report

The two teams will square off at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. The boundaries aren’t very long, so getting sixes won’t be difficult. The average first-inning score on this field is 163, but a winning total would be more than 190 runs.

This season has been a high-scoring pitch at Eden Gardens. Spinners have historically had little help on this surface. The ball lands nicely on the bat, and batters can freely time their strokes. On match day, Kolkata will be partly cloudy with a high of 36 degrees Celsius.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans Prediction

KKR may have avoided a fifth straight loss by defeating RCB in their last game, but they’re still a long way from being a dependable side in this IPL. GT, on the other hand, has been consistent in every department and has a number of match-winning players in their lineup. The home team has many batting problems and no reliable pace bowlers. Overall, Gujarat Titans have a significant advantage in this match and will begin as favorites. Check out the odds at Cricbaba!

Gujarat Titans is the favourite to beat Kolkata Knight Riders at the odds of 1.78.