Kolkata Knight Riders vs Gujarat Titans Predictions: GT can go top of the table with a win

Playing in their eighth game of the season Kolkata Knight Riders will welcome Gujarat Titans in the 39th game of the season at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 29th April. GT can go top of the table with a win. Who will win this game?

Kolkata Knight Riders secured a win against Gujarat Titans earlier in the season but then lost four matches in a row. They ended the losing streak by defeating the Royal Challengers in their latest outing. The absence of Shreyas Iyer affected their batting performance but the arrival of Jason Roy has strengthened the top order. Roy has scored 2 half-centuries in his 3 appearances, but he is also known to be inconsistent. The middle order, consisting of Venkatesh Iyer and Nitesh Rana, has performed consistently, and Rinku Singh has also contributed significantly since his standout performance against the Titans. However, Jagadeesan may not be a good option to have at the top of the order due to his low strike rate. The lower order looks weak with Andre Russell and Sunil Narine underperforming. The spinners, Varun Chakaravarthy, Suyash Sharma, and Sunil Narine have done an excellent job, but Narine has been expensive this season. In contrast, young Suyash Sharma seems to be performing well. The seamers have struggled with Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav picking up just 2 and 1 wicket(s) respectively. Hence, the Knights will depend on their batting to lead the way.

N Jagadeesan (wk), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Vaibhav Arora, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

The current season has seen the defending champions maintain a high level of consistency and secure a comfortable position in the top four of the points table.

A significant factor behind the Gujarat Titans' success this season has been the team's collective contribution, with nearly all players playing a role in bringing the team this far. Shubhman Gill has been the anchor of the top-order batting, complemented well by Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, and Vijay Shankar.

In recent matches, Hardik Pandya has been batting at number three, which has proven to be a positive move. This enables him to set the pace of the innings before the spin hitters come in later.

In their previous match, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, and Rahul Tewatia put in outstanding performances, indicating that the team's batting line-up is in good form. The Titans' strike rate has been on the rise, which will be crucial in their upcoming match at Eden Gardens, a high-scoring venue.

The team's bowling attack is well-balanced and possibly the best in the tournament. Rashid Khan, with 14 wickets, is among the highest wicket-takers in the tournament, while Noor Ahmed's last spell took three wickets. Mohammad Shami has been impressive with the new ball, and Mohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have been economical.

Mohit Sharma has been particularly efficient in the death overs. The Gujarat Titans have discovered a perfect blend of players, and their bowling attack is a force to be reckoned with. The team has depth and variety in their bowling, which enables them to remain competitive even when they score 10-15 runs short of a good total.

Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma

The playing surface at this venue has proved to be favourable for the batsmen, resulting in high-scoring matches this season. The pitch offers a decent amount of bounce, and the ball comes on nicely onto the bat. Nonetheless, the pitch tends to become slower as the game progresses, and spin bowlers are expected to play a significant role in the latter half of the match. As this match is scheduled to take place during the day, dew is not expected to play a major role. However, the weather forecast predicts overcast conditions with a chance of showers throughout the day which can shorten the game. We expect a close game and Kolkata to come out on top at home.