IPL 2025, KKR vs LSG preview: Can Kolkata's bowling unit stop Lucknows top-order juggernaut?
Kolkata Knight Riders' bowling attack will be aiming to stop Lucknow Super Giants' top-order firepower in the IPL 2025 clash.
Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Lucknow Super Giants in the 20th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday, April 8.
Kolkata Knight Riders have had an inconsistent campaign in the ongoing IPL as they have won two matches in four outings. KKR registered two wins against Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, while losing the other games against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians. With two wins and as many losses, Kolkata Knight Riders are at the fifth spot on the points table with four points and have an NRR of +0.070.
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Lucknow Super Giants, on the other hand, had a shaky start to their season, winning a game after every defeat. In four matches, The Rishabh Pant-led side registered two wins against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians, while losing the other two games against Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. After their second win of the season Mumbai Indians, LSG moved to sixth spot with four points and has NRR of +480.
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KKR’s bowling attack aims to put up a good show
The collective effort of Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers were on display when they bundled out Sunrisers Hyderabad for 120 while chasing 201-run target. The attack was led by Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakravarthy, with Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Harshit Rana also chipping in with crucial breakthroughs to dismantle Hyderabad’s batting line-up.
Heading into the clash against Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling unit will look to fire in unison, with Eden Gardens expected to be dry surface, which will assist spinners like Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. Since KKR are aware of LSG’s batting line-up, especially top-order, including Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran, the hosts will be keen to strike early and break the backbone of LSG’s innings before the trio settles in.
Apart from Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling, the batting unit will also need to step up, with Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine expected to provide a good start at the top-order. Narine has not been impactful with his performance as an opener in the last four matches. Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh found their forms in the previous match and will look to carry that momentum in the upcoming clash against LSG.
LSG reliant on top-order
Throughout the season thus far, it has been evident that Lucknow Super Giants are reliant on top-order of the batting line-up. Given the firepower unleashed by Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and Aiden Mark, LSG have often managed to post competitive totals on the board or chase down challenging targets.
Ayush Badoni, David Miller, and Abdul Samad have stepped up when they were needed. However, the responsibility will be again on top-order of the batting line-up to lay a solid foundation, especially Kolkata Knight Riders’ spin-heavy attack that thrives in home conditions.
Though there was a collective bowling effort by Lucknow Super Giants to pull off thrilling 12-run win against Mumbai Indians, they will need to replicate that discipline and variation against a KKR side that boasts power-hitters like Quinton de Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, and Rinku Singh.
KKR and LSG squads
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh , Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Sunil Narine, Chetan Sakariya, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell
Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (C & WK), David Miller, Aiden Markram, Aryan Juyal, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, M Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi
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