GT Vs KKR Preview: Can resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders derail high-flying Gujarat Titans?

GT Vs KKR Preview: Gujarat Titans return to home Ahmedabad for their 3rd match of the IPL 2023 against KKR.

The 13th match of IPL 2023 will mark the beginning of a super-Sunday doubleheader as the Kolkata Knight Riders visit the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to take on the Gujarat Titans. Despite the absence of their star batsman Kane Williamson due to injury, the defending champions have managed to perform well in their previous two games, securing back-to-back victories, including a recent win over the Delhi Capitals. In that match, the Titans' clinical performance led to a 6-wicket win, with Sai Sudharsan scoring 62 from 48 and Miller contributing 31 from 16. As they look to continue their winning streak, the Titans will aim to overcome the Kolkata Knight Riders.

On the other hand, After a disappointing loss to the Punjab Kings in their opening match, the Kolkata Knight Riders came back strong with a dominant display against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their recent game. They won the match by a huge margin of 81 runs, which was a much-needed boost for the team. Shardul Thakur's impressive knock of 68 from just 29 balls, Gurbaz's half-century, and Varun Chakaravarthy's 4-wicket haul were the highlights of the match for KKR. With this victory, the team will be looking to maintain their momentum as they prepare to face the Gujarat Titans in their upcoming game.

GT Vs KKR: Pitch Report

The pitch at the venue is generally considered favorable for batting. The average first-inning score at this ground has been approximately 170, with the chasing team emerging victorious on most occasions, as was the case in the previous match where the Gujarat Titans successfully chased down the target.

GT Vs KKR: Teams News

With Kane Williamson being ruled out due to injury, Shanaka has been drafted into the squad as replacement. Sai Sudharsan's impressive performance with the bat against the Delhi Capitals is likely to secure his place in the starting lineup. Moreover, having emerged victorious in their previous encounter, the Gujarat Titans may not be thinking of making changes in their playing XI for their upcoming game against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Whereas, Shakib Al Hasan has been replaced by Jason Roy in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad. Mandeep Singh, who has failed to perform in the two innings played so far, may be replaced by Narayan Jagadeesan in the playing XI. Following their victory in the previous match, the Kolkata Knight Riders are unlikely to make any more changes for their upcoming game against the Gujarat Titans.

GT Vs KKR: Head to Head

Matches – 1

Gujarat Titans – 1

Kolkata Knight Riders – 0

GT Vs KKR: Players to Watch

Gujarat Titans: Shubhman Gill

Given Shubhman Gill's impressive performance in the lead-up to this year's IPL, as well as his fondness for batting on the Narendra Modi Stadium pitch, and his prior half-century in the first match played at this venue against CSK, it is expected that he will deliver a noteworthy innings against his former team.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz

The KKR opener registered his maiden half-century in the IPL during the previous match against RCB, and he is expected to maintain his impressive form as he is a crucial player for the team this season. Additionally, Gurbaz will be facing his former franchise, Gujarat Titans, where he was unable to play any matches last year.

GT Vs KKR: Probable Playing XIs

Gujarat Titans predicted playing XI: Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph

Kolkata Knight Riders predicted playing XI: Narayan Jagadeesan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.

GT Vs KKR: Match Facts

Shubhman Gill needs 23 more runs to reach 2000 runs in IPL.

The two teams have only played against each other once, and in that match, the Gujarat Titans emerged as the winners.

Hardik Pandya requires 24 runs to achieve 2000 IPL runs.

Varun Chakaravarthy is only 3 wickets away from taking 50 wickets in IPL.

GT Vs KKR: Live Broadcasting

IND: Star Sports Network (TV) | JioCinema (Live Streaming)

UK: DAZN, Sky Sports

AUS: Fox Sports, Kayo Sports