The Kolkata Knight Riders and the Lucknow Super Giants are set to face off in an IPL 2023 match on Saturday, May 20, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Kolkata is entering the game with a recent victory against CSK, while LSG managed to defeat the Mumbai Indians in their previous match. This game holds great importance for both teams as they aim to secure a spot in the playoffs.
KKR is in desperate need of a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. On the other hand, LSG will aim to solidify their position in the top two by defeating KKR convincingly. Kolkata also needs to win by a significant margin to improve their net run rate and enhance their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants, Match 68, IPL 2023
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date & Time: Saturday, May 20, 7:30 PM IST
Telecast & Streaming Details: Star Sports Network and JioCinema
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Jason Roy, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG): Quinton de Kock (wk), Deepak Hooda, Prerak Mankad, Krunal Pandya (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Swapnil Singh, Mohsin Khan
Kolkata Knight Riders: N Jagadeesan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Aarya Desai, David Wiese, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Jason Roy, Andre Russell, Tim Southee, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Manan Vohra, Kyle Mayers, Krishnappa Gowtham, Krunal Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Nicholas Pooran, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yudhvir Charak, Karun Nair, Mayank Yadav
In the ongoing season, Eden Gardens has hosted six matches, with an equal distribution of victories for teams batting first and teams chasing. Three matches saw the team batting first emerge victorious, while in the other three, the team chasing managed to secure the win. The pitch at this renowned venue has proven to be a haven for batsmen, witnessing high-scoring encounters. Additionally, spinners have enjoyed considerable success on this surface, highlighting the role they play in matches.
Given the recent trend and the outcomes of matches played at the Eden Gardens, it is likely that the captain who wins the toss will opt to field first. This decision is influenced by the balanced success rate between batting first and chasing and the advantage of having knowledge about the target to be chased. Moreover, the nature of the pitch, which favors batsmen and assists spinners, could further motivate the captains to choose bowling first. By doing so, they can potentially restrict the opposition's run-scoring and exploit the spin-friendly conditions while comfortably chasing down a total.
Overall, the Eden Gardens have provided an exhilarating platform for both batsmen and spinners, with teams achieving an equal number of wins while batting first and chasing. The recent pattern suggests that the captain winning the toss might be inclined to elect to bowl first, taking advantage of the pitch characteristics and the dynamics of the matches played at the venue.
