With fortunes hanging by a thread, Knight Riders face stern Lucknow test

It promises to be a Saturday night blockbuster in the Indian Premier League as the Lucknow Super Giants lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders in an evening encounter at the MCA Stadium in Pune. 

The league stage of the Indian Premier League is heading into an exciting finish as the race for the playoffs is heating up with eight teams vying for a spot in the final four. 

While the two sides are on the opposite ends of the spectrum as far as the points table is concerned, the teams boast plenty of match-winners to enthral the fans with a cracking encounter. 

The newly-inducted franchise, Super Giants, have been one of the most consistent sides and recorded seven wins in 10 league matches and will aim to consolidate their post in the top two, allowing them two opportunities to reach the final. 

On the other hand, the Knight Riders will set foot in Pune with the hope to produce a clinical performance and stay alive in the tournament. The boys in Purple and Gold endured a dismal performance and suffered five successive defeats to derail their campaign. 

The Knight Riders need to win all their four fixtures to qualify for the final four. With the stakes rocketing sky-high, here are some of the major talking points that can decide the outcome of this high-voltage clash. 

Is Deepak Hooda the solution to Lucknow's number three conundrum?

In the 10 matches played thus far, Lucknow have struggled to find an ideal batter at number three. While they tried Manish Pandey and Evin Lewis for a couple of games, the duo failed to capitalise on the opportunity, causing concern for KL Rahul and the team management. 

However, in the last two matches, the Super Giants opted to use the services of Deepak Hooda after the fall of the first wicket, and the right-handed batter amassed 86 runs at an average of 43 and a strike rate of 138.7. 

The 27-year-old scored a vital half-century in the last game against Delhi and will look to cement his place at the top of the order. With an array of strokes all around the ground, Hooda has been in sublime form in the tournament, and his ability to play spin in the middle overs will be the critical factor for the Super Giants heading into the business end. 

Opening woes for the Knight Riders

One of the significant areas of concern for the Kolkata Knight Riders in this extravaganza has been the lack of stability at the top of the order. The two-time champions have tried five opening combinations in 10 matches, which is the most by any team this season. 

The opening partnership of Knight Riders have scored 285 runs at a strike rate of 108.4 and have an average of 15 runs per wicket, which is the worst among all the teams in the competition.

With a lack of foundation at the top, the onus of the side relies heavily on Shreyas Iyer to steady the innings and help them crawl out of challenging situations. 

While the skipper is the leading run-scorer of the side, with 324 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 133.3, Kolkata will need contributions from their opening pair to help the team get off to a flying start in this must-win encounter. 

Nitish Rana playing the anchor role to perfection

With the Knight Riders struggling to find the ideal pair to open, cricketing pundits across the globe believed in slotting Nitish Rana at the top. 

While the southpaw was assigned the role of opening the batting in the past couple of seasons, the team management felt he was better suited to anchor the innings in the middle order. 

One of the positives for him and the Knight Riders is his variety as a left-handed batter and his ability to play spin in the middle overs. The 28-year old has scored 248 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 140.9 and powered the team over the line with a match-defining knock of unbeaten 48 in the last clash against the Capitals. 

With their fortunes hanging by a thread, the Knight Riders will hope for Rana to continue his form and help the team get over the line and stay alive in the competition.

Probable XI:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Anukul Roy, Baba Indrajith (wk), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi

Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock (wk), KL Rahul (c), Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jason Holder, Dushmantha Chameera, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi