KKR look to seal top two spot as GT aim to stay alive

We’re nearing the business end of the group stages of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), meaning the race for the playoffs is burning up. And on May 13 (Monday), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT) clash in a pretty interesting contest.

Interesting because it’s almost a dead rubber, but not quite so. 

KKR are almost assured of a top-two spot, while GT are almost knocked out. Both things are inevitable; a mere matter of ‘when’. 

That ‘when’ could very well prove to be May 13 (Monday) if the Knight Riders triumph over the Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

So, will KKR seal a top-two spot with two games left, or will GT continue to hang in there and keep their slim chances of qualifying for the playoffs alive?

GT vs KKR Head-to-Head 

Overall: Matches 3 | GT 2 | KKR 1

In Ahmedabad: Matches 1 | GT 1 | KKR 0

Venue Details

The Narendra Modi Stadium has been a moderately high scoring venue by IPL 2024 standards, with the overall batting run rate at the venue reading 9.4. The number might seem high, but the scoring rate here is actually the fourth slowest among 12 venues in IPL 2024.

That being said, we saw a mammoth 427 runs being scored in the previous clash at the venue between CSK and GT, in which the home side smashed 231/3 batting first. CSK failed to chase the target down against GT but Ahmedabad has proven to be a ‘bat second’ venue, with teams chasing winning 4/6 matches in IPL 2024. 

In terms of bowling, there’s been no respite for both spinners and pacers, with both going at an E.R over 9.00. But pacers (28.8) have averaged far better than spinners (41.7).

Weather conditions

We witnessed a rain-curtailed game on May 11 (Saturday), and there is a rain forecast for May 13 (Monday) as well. But the good news is that there’s only a 25% chance of rain, that too in the afternoon. The weather is expected to clear up by evening; post 6 PM, the chances of showers are less than 5%

Things to watch out for 

Will GT drop the struggling Noor Ahmad?

IPL 2023 saw Noor Ahmad bring a cutting edge to GT’s bowling attack that helped the Titans overpower teams with the ball in hand, particularly in the middle-overs. However, this time around, the mystery spinner is going through second-season syndrome, having taken just eight wickets in 10 games at an average of 36.25 and E.R of 8.33. 

The 19-year-old has, in particular, been struggling of late, going at nearly 10.00 RPO across his last four games, averaging 42.3. 

Against CSK, Noor bowled only two overs and was hit out of the attack by Moeen Ali: he conceded 25 in 2 overs, with 20 of those coming in a single over.

It’s no surprise that Moeen took Noor down because the youngster has really struggled to bowl against the lefties of late, with his E.R. against them reading 13.2 across GT’s last four games.

With four destructive lefties in KKR’s lineup (Narine, Venky Iyer, Rana & Rinku), will GT drop Noor and possibly get in one of Spencer Johnson or Josh Little, someone who picked up four wickets in that RCB clash?

Shreyas Iyer needs to come to the party for KKR ASAP!

KKR, as a unit, have been flying with the bat this season, but their skipper, Shreyas Iyer, has not been in sync with the rest. He’s averaging 31.89 at a strike rate of 135.4 and has found it tough to impact matches game in and game out, like some of the other KKR batters. 

On May 11 (Saturday), against MI, he endured a painful 10-ball stay where he managed just 7 runs before getting bowled behind his legs in a rather comical fashion.

Iyer, without question, has shown signs of promise this season, but that’s only been in patches. His form has not affected the side because the others around him have done the heavy lifting, but with the playoffs nearing, the Knight Riders will need their skipper to enter the party.

Could Monday prove to be the night for that?

Probable XIs 

GT are unlikely to make more than one change; even a solitary change is doubtful. But if they do make a change, expect Spencer Johnson or Josh Little to come in for Noor Ahmad.

GT likely XI: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, David Miller, Matthew Wade (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Kartik Tyagi, Noor Ahmad / Spencer Johnson / Josh Little, Sandeep Warrier (IP)

Expect KKR to go in with an unchanged lineup

KKR likely XI: Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora (IP)

If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.