The Twenty-fourth match of the tournament is going to be played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Head to Head
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have won 14 matches out of the total 24 matches played so far.
In the last four meetings between them, KKR have won all the matches.
Squads
Top Players in KXIP & KKR
KKR:
A Russell: The go to man for KKR has not been amongst the runs with the bat. He has scored only 50 runs so far in the tournament. The good thing for him is that he has been bowling much better than he has ever done for KKR in the past. This year his bowling average of 16 and the strike rate of 12 is personal best. He has picked up 5 wickets in total and has an economy rate of 8, which also comes very close to his best performance of past.
D Karthik: He has struggled the whole series for form with the bat. He has scored 49 runs in total out of which 30 were scored in the first match of the series. The match against KXIP could be a blessing for him as a batsman. He has a decent record against them, he has scored 499 runs at an average of 33.26 and a strike rate of 138.61.
S Narine: He hasn't bowled as expected this season but he bowled a fantastically against CSK. His first two overs were one of the major reasons why KKR were able to defend their total. When it comes to batting he hasn't scored many runs as well but the way he bats he could get going any day.
S Gill: He was the Man of the Match for the first two matches followed by a few duds, now with Tripathi opening he has an attacking partner to bank on but has to work on his strike rate of 115.60 as well. He could be a crucial player in today's match, Him facing Shami and Cottrell would be an interesting dual.
KXIP:
C Gayle: It is high time this man gets into the team. He wasn't chosen in the past that's fine but he should get into the playing 11 at least against KKR. Gayle has feasted upon them in past, he has scored 649 runs with an average of 46.35 and a staggering strike rate of 150.58.
KL Rahul: He is the leading run-scorer in this tournament still despite his failure with the bat in the previous match. Overall, he has scored 313 runs at an average of 62.60 and a strike rate of 136.68. Despite his heroics at the top, his team has struggled to win matches who knows maybe the inclusion of C Gayle can change fortunes for KXIP.
M Agarwal: He has been exceptional in this tournament, this is by far his best IPL performance of his career. His average of 46.83 and a phenomenal strike rate of 162.42 speaks about his form. He is third in the list of top run-scorers for this year.
M Shami: Apart from the match against CSK he has picked up a wicket in every other match. He has been very good at the top and has looked dangerous with the ball throughout this tournament.
S Cottrell: He had a bad day at the office against SRH and against CSK. He has been a mixed bag either he performs excellently or is taken for runs. He needs to find a little more consistency with the ball.
Likely Playing 11
Other players who can make an impact
N Rana(KKR): He faltered in the previous match but could play a crucial role today. He has looked solid throughout the tournament and if he can convert his solid starts into big innings it could immensely help his franchise.
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman(KXIP): He is a fantastic player and if he might play crucial role against KKR. His dual with Gill could be an exciting thing to watch.
On Paper and based on form KKR is the favourite in this match. KXIP have hardly made any major change in their teams despite them not getting the desired result. Having a belief in your players is an excellent quality of the captain but when the results don't go your way one has to take some bold decisions.
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