Struggling KKR to play mighty GT

Mumbai, April 22 : Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to bounce back after three losses in a row when they take on table topper Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match here at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. The Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata are placed at seventh after three wins and four loses, while Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat have suffered only one loss in seven games. In their last outings, KKR suffered a seven-wicket loss at the hands of Rajasthan Royals. On the other hand, Gujarat defeated the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings by three wickets. For KKR, Shreyas has been the most bankable option so far. The likes of Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, and Andre Russell have to up their game to add more positive to the line-up. S l Narine and Umesh Yadav are the most economical among bowlers. Pat Cummins and Varun Chakravarthy have to return with better figure to stop the Titans’ run fest. Gujarat have showcased an all-round show so far. Shubhman Gill and skipper Hardik have brought a fine balance in the top order. Rahul Tewatia can provide depth with his quick-fire knock in the death overs. Mathew Wade and Vijay Shankar’s form are the only concerns in the batting order. GT’s bowling is amongst the most well-rounded and threatening in the competition, with Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan leading the charge in every game. Squads (from): Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), Sheldon Jackson, Aaron Finch, S l Narine, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Tim Southee, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Nabi, Sam Billings, Chamika Karunaratne, Baba Indrajith, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Pratham Singh, Abhijeet Tomar, Aman Hakim Khan, Ashok Sharma, Ramesh Kumar, Harshit Rana Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, Matthew Wade, Varun Aaron, Pradeep Sangwan, Jayant Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Darshan Nalkande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Dominic Drakes, Sai Sudharsan, Noor Ahmad BAV