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Table-toppers Gujarat Titans (GT) take on the wobbly Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the first game of Saturday's (April 23) IPL 2022 double-header at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
While Gujarat have had some luck going their way in addition to their blockbuster performances, Kolkata have misfired after a promising start to their campaign. The key names in Pat Cummins, Umesh Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy look off-color and that's played a key role in their struggles.
That said, KKR still has the firepower to upset GT and get their faltering journey on track. Here's a look at some of the key matchups to watch out for ahead of the clash.
#1 Shreyas Iyer vs GT trump card Rashid Khan
KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer's weakness against leg-spin makes his clash with Rashid Khan one of the most mouth-watering contests. Iyer has been dismissed 14 times by leggies since IPL 2019 and Rashid has had him twice in all of their encounters.
The Afghan is on somewhat of a slump himself, picking up just six wickets in the tournament so far despite being economical. Giving away just 6.66 runs an over, it appears batters are content to see him off. Only time will tell if Iyer will play it safe against Rashid.
#2 Hardik Pandya vs Varun Chakravarthy
GT skipper Hardik Pandya comes into this clash with two consecutive 50s to his name. Keen to stop the Baroda all-rounder will be Varun Chakravarthy with his mystery spin.
The Tamil Nadu tweaker has been ineffective for the Knight Riders this season, picking up just four wickets. But he will hope it's his day and he can prize out the GT skipper as well as the team's middle-order.
#3 Andre Russell vs Mohammed Shami
Andre Russell in good nick is good news for Kolkata, while Mohammed Shami has been Gujarat's leading wicket-taker with eight wickets. His length against Russell's ability to hit the ball on the rise makes for an epic slog-overs matchup.
Despite being dismissed for a duck in KKR's previous game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Russell has appeared to be his usual self — hitting boundaries with calculated risk. The way he handles Shami will play a large part in deciding the outcome of the match.
