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substantial contributions in the previous games. With two young and in-form batters in the side, and a bowling department overflowing with the experience of pace bowlers Mohammed Shami, skipper Hardik Pandya and the craftiness of Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, KKR could find the going tough in the away match.
While the likes of Shami, Rahid, and Alzarri Joseph have been effective, with the Indian pacer emerging as the leading wicket-taker with five scalps in the two games, the inability to contain runs in powerplay overs is something the bowling stalwart will have to figure out ahead of the clash against the two-time IPL champions.
KKR, on the other hand, have an interesting puzzle to solve before they take the field against Gujarat Titans. With Jason Roy being roped in to give the side a boost following the injury to regular captain Shreyas Iyer and the pullout of Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, it remains to be seen how KKR fit the England opener after young Afghanistan wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s exploits at the top.
There is a likelihood that Roy will replace Gurbaz. However, the 81-run win against the star-studded RCB, aided by Shardul’s all-round show, the dream debut by Delhi teenager Suyash Sharma – who took 3/30 – and the brilliance of slow bowlers Varun Chakravarthy (4/15) and Sunil Narine (2/16) will give enough confidence to skipper Nitish Rana to go into the game with a positive frame of mind.
(With PTI Inputs)
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