The Rising Pune Supergiant defeated the Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier to become the first team to enter the final of IPL 2017. In the second playoff, the Kolkata Knight Riders will take on defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator to decide who goes on to play Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier on May 19 in Hyderabad.
KKR have had a magnificent season so far but were sloppy towards the end. At one point, it looked like they would finish on top of the table, but only one win in their last five matches led to them finishing in 4th place on the points table.
They will look to get back to winning ways but will have their task cut-out against an in-form SRH side.
Here is KKR’s predicted XI for the eliminator:
Sunil Narine’s pinch hitting ability came to the fore during the BBL and the CPL but it was only well utilised in this year’s IPL. It has been a hit and a miss for his side but whenever he has got going, he has destroyed the opposition bowling line-up. The last time he played at the Chinnaswamy, he scored the fastest ever IPL fifty.
Chris Lynn missed the majority of the season but has come up with the goods in the few matches he has played. He was one of the only batsmen who played well in their previous encounter which KKR lost. Along with Narine, he will look to give his side an explosive start.
Gautam Gambhir has performed exceptionally well with the bat in the IPL this year and has impressed with his captaincy once again. He is currently third on the list of highest run-getters and was unlucky not to be named in India’s squad for the Champions Trophy.
Robin Uthappa has complemented Gambhir extremely well and the duo have put up some vital partnerships for their side in the tournament this year. He has been extremely impressive with the bat and has amassed 384 runs despite missing a couple of matches.
Also Read: IPL 2017 Playoffs, SRH vs KKR Match Prediction
Manish Pandey started off the tournament in exceptional style with some breathtaking performances. He had a few bad performances in the middle of the tournament but found his feet once again over the past few games.
Yusuf Pathan has been an inconsistent customer but his reputation of being an explosive batsman will keep the home team on their toes. Capable of leaving even well-devised plans in awry, the seasoned campaigner can leave a lasting impression in the death overs.
Colin de Grandhomme: Playing his maiden IPL season, de Grandhomme has managed to carve a spot for himself in KKR’s eleven. Aside from contributing quite a few handy overs with the ball, the all-rounder also has the ability to clear the fence with sublime ease during the business stages of the innings
Kuldeep Yadav has been quite impressive with the ball and has bamboozled batsmen with his variations. He was unlucky to miss out on a spot in India’s squad for the Champions Trophy and will look to give the selectors something to think about with an impressive performance against SRH.
Umesh Yadav has been a different bowler altogether over the past year or so. He has hit the deck hard and produced a decent amount of swing and troubled the batsmen. He will look to continue his fine run of form in this vital encounter.
Trent Boult has not played too many matches this year but with Chris Woakes gone back to England, he will continue to play a part in the playing XI for the final few matches.
Ankit Rajpoot has played only 4 games for KKR this year and has been quite impressive. With 4 wickets to his name, he currently has the best economy-rate in the side.
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