When the
Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants square off in the Indian Premier
League on Saturday, the resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders will be wary of the
threat posed by Lucknow Super Giants’ in-form skipper KL Rahul.

LSG are in
second place with 14 points and are on track to qualify for the play-offs,
thanks to Rahul, who has been their batting mainstay. Rahul has led LSG from the front, amassing 451 runs from 10 matches, including two hundreds and as many fifties to finish the season as the second highest run-getter.

Former champions KKR are
in eighth place with eight points, and with four wins in ten games, a positive
result would help them stay in the race for a play-off spot. 

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He hit a
crucial 77-ball in their tight six-run win against Delhi Capitals, which was
their third in a row. Thus, KKR’s diverse assault, which includes Umesh Yadav,
Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi, and Sunil Narine, would be eager to slow Rahul down. It
is likewise imperative for LSG’s other hitters, such as Quinton de Kock, Ayush
Badoni, Deepak Hooda, and Krunal Pandya, to take more responsibility and
perform.

De Kock got
off to a good start against Delhi, but he must convert that into a huge knock.
Hooda contributed a quick-fire 52 against DC, but he must be more consistent. Much
will also be determined by the performance of hard-hitting all-rounders Marcus
Stoinis and Jason Holder. Pacer Mohsin Khan, who took four wickets in their
last game, is improving with each outing, but Dushmantha Chameera and Holder
must forget their thrashing by Delhi. Pandya is the same way.

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The four
overs bowled by spinners Ravi Bishnoi and K Gowtham each have the potential to
influence the result of the match. Meanwhile, KKR’s main concern has been their
out-of-form openers. They’ve tried several combinations, but none have
succeeded thus far. However, management would be thrilled that their
middle-order connected against Rajasthan, with Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh both
scoring match-winning runs. The trio, along with the swashbuckling Andre
Russell, can worry the Lucknow bowling attack, and KKR will be hoping that
their top and middle-order ignite.