'TATA IPL 2022' Struggling Kolkata faces stern Gujarat test

NAVI MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders will be desperate to bring its flagging campaign back on track when it faces Gujarat Titans in the IPL at the DY Patil Stadium here on Saturday.

Having suffered three losses in a row, the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata (6 points from 7 matches) has slipped to the bottom half of the table. Its task only gets tougher against the in-form Gujarat (10 points from 6 matches), which has been a revelation in its maiden season.

The Hardik Pandya-led Titans has been firing on all cylinders, with its batting prowess and bowling might. Hardik missed the last match against Chennai Super Kings owing to a groin issue, but it was business as usual for Gujarat since stand-in skipper Rashid Khan led the team to a three-wicket win. The biggest positive was Rashid’s sensational batting as the Afghan smashed a match-winning 40 off just 21 balls.

Gujarat’s opening combination may not have given it the desired starts, but the middle-order has rescued Titans most of the times. In the last match, it was David Miller (94 not out off 51 balls) who stole the show with a breathtaking innings. On the bowling front, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid could hold the key.

Against Rajasthan Royals, the Kolkata bowlers were taken to the cleaners on a batting-friendly surface at the Brabourne Stadium. It remains to be seen if KKR would bring Tim Southee back into the attack as he is known for providing early breakthroughs.

Opening batter Aaron Finch and Shreyas are in fine nick after scoring fifties in a losing cause against Royals, but the form of Venkatesh Iyer is a concern for Knight Riders.

The two-time champion would hope that Nitish Rana and Andre Russell contribute big as the team is eager to snap its losing streak.