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After more than fifty games, not a single team has made it to the postseason. Currently ranked second and third in the standings, respectively, Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants still have a chance to miss out on qualification. Both sides would prefer to avoid becoming mired in the middle of the table, and two points now may help them do that.
The big-hitters for KKR, who enter this game fresh off two victories, will be playing in unfamiliar territory. They had never gone to Lucknow to see an IPL match. Additionally, the venue’s pitches haven’t been all that predictable. But considering how well their spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine has played thus far, KKR will be happy with the fact that spin has been a major factor in most of these games. The two in the middle restrained the LSG hitters in their earlier encounter at Eden Gardens this season.
LSG hasn’t yet succeeded in winning over the pitches at Ekana. They lost by seven wickets after scoring 196 on what appeared to be a fine batting pitch against Rajasthan Royals, then they managed to chase down 145 on a slow pitch with four balls remaining in the match against MI. Hence, it will once more depend on whether they offer red, black, or mixed soils as the pitch on Sunday. LSG has struggled with injuries all season long. Their opener Quinton de Kock missed the most recent game due to a hand injury, while their X-factor bowler Mayank Yadav is currently almost certainly out of the competition. The hosts will be aiming to add some players in an effort to make it into the playoffs.
Phil Salt (47-ball 89) and Mitchell Starc (3 for 28) helped the hosts thump LSG by eight wickets. LSG could post only 161 for 7 after they were put in, which was then chased down by the hosts in 15.4 overs in their previous meeting.
Despite a fifty against RCB, skipper Shreyas Iyer has not contributed much with the bat to KKR’s successful season thus far. Having scored 6, 33*, and 28 in the previous three games, he enters the contest with 257 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 137.43. Due to the efforts of the rest of the lineup, KKR has not suffered too much despite his few strong starts but inability to convert. He scored a run-a-ball 38 in the rematch match, with Salt hitting at a strike rate of around 190 at the other end.