IPL 2022, KKR vs LSG Preview: Lucknow target second spot on table while Kolkata fight to keep faint hopes alive

Hence, for KKR to qualify, they need to win by a handsome margin and hope Delhi and Bangalore drop the ball in their final game to stand a chance of qualifying. Not to forget, Punjab are also in with a shout as they sit behind KKR with 12 points but a negative NRR of -0.043.

The last meeting between the two sides this season doesn’t read well for KKR as they were beaten comprehensively by a 75-run margin. Quinton de Kock (50 off 29 balls) and Deepak Hooda (41 off 27 balls) provided a quick start as LSG posted a decent total of 176/7.

Avesh Khan (3/19) and Jason Holder (3/31) then ripped through the KKR line-up as only Andre Russell (45 off 19 balls) and Sunil Narine (22 off 12 balls) walked away with any credit with Kolkata meekly bowing out with just 101 runs inside 15 overs.

However, since then KKR have recorded two big wins, with their latest outing yielding a massive 54-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Russell (49 not-out off 28 balls) once again starred with an all-round performance as he played a blinding cameo to fire KKR to 177/6.

Russell (3/22) then starred with the ball and Tim Southee (2/23) also bowled a handy spell as KKR restricted the Sunrisers to just 123/8.

LSG meanwhile have followed up that win against KKR with back-to-back defeats which has seen them slip from first to third spot on the table. Their latest outing was a 24-run defeat against Rajasthan Royals.

Lucknow were poor in that game as Rajasthan posted 178/6 and then restricted KL Rahul’s side to just 154/8 with some excellent bowling. LSG will be keen to bounce back from that defeat and avoid any late embarrassment after a flying start in the group stage.

Kolkata Knight Riders Team News: Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the tournament as he’s returned home to recuperate from a shoulder injury. KKR will also be without Ajinkya Rahane for this game after the opener suffered a hamstring injury in the last game.

Lucknow Super Giants Team News: LSG have no injury concerns but might be tempted to find a way to bring Manish Pandey back into the Playing XI as they’ve struggled for runs in the middle.

KKR vs LSG Pitch Report: The track at the DY Patil Stadium has slowed down as the tournament has progressed and scoring runs become difficult after the powerplay. The top order batters need to maximise the powerplay with the new ball still coming onto the bat nicely. Three of the last five games have been won by the team batting first.

Where to Watch LIVE: Match starts at 7.30 pm IST on Monday, May 16, with the Toss scheduled for 7.00 pm IST. The match will be telecast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also tune into the action via the Disney+ Hotstar.

Top Batting Picks: Deepak Hooda has been performing superbly since moving up to no. 3 and has scores of 59, 27, 41 and 52 in the last four games. He has 406 runs from 13 games this season. KL Rahul the LSG captain is also a man in good form and is second in the race for the Orange Cap with 469 runs this season.

Top All-Rounder Picks: Andre Russell can be backed to deliver in both departments with 330 runs to go along with his impressive tally of 17 wickets, the highest for KKR this term. Krunal Pandya is another all-rounder who can be a value addition and has 9 wickets along with 183 runs this season.

Top Bowling Picks: Avesh Khan is LSG’s leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets this season from just 11 games. Umesh Yadav has been making a habit of picking wickets in the powerplay and has 16 wickets from 11 games. Tim Southee has also looked impressive off late and has 14 wickets from just 8 games.

Kolkata Knight Riders (Predicted XI): Venkatesh Iyer, Baba Indrajith, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings (WK), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee and Varun Chakravarthy.

Lucknow Super Giants (Predicted XI): Quinton de Kock (WK), KL Rahul (C), Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera and Avesh Khan.

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (C), Manan Vohra, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Quinton De Kock, Ravi Bishnoi, Dushmantha Chameera, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Avesh Khan, Andrew Tye, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers, Karan Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya and Jason Holder.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Abhijeet Tomar, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ashok Sharma, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Dar, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Aman Khan, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohammed Nabi, Ramesh Kumar, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sam Billings and Sheldon Jackson.