Connect with us
DAPA Banner
DAPA Coin
DAPA
COIN PAYMENT ASSET
PRIVACY · BLOCKDAG · HOMOMORPHIC ENCRYPTION · RUST
ElGamal Encrypted MINE DAPA
🚫 GENESIS SOLD OUT
DAPAPAY COMING

Sports

KKR Search For Answers Amid Turmoil; In-Form Gujarat Titans Eye First Home Win

Published

on




An under pressure Kolkata Knight Riders would be hoping to arrest their steep slide against a resurgent Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League on Friday. Under captain Ajinkya Rahane and coach Abhishek Nayar, KKR have struggled for clarity, slumping to four defeats in five matches and still searching for their first win of the season. It’s their misfortune that their bowling had weakened significantly before the tournament following the injury setbacks to Harshit Rana and Akash Deep and the release of Mustafizur Rahman on BCCI instructions.

But the bigger concern was the dip in form of their spin mainstays Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. The Indian spinner is still in the struggle phase and is yet to take a wicket this season.

KKR’s problems have also been compounded by questionable decisions on and off the field decisions.

Advertisement

Leaving out players like Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra have raised eyebrows, while their choices after winning the toss have been baffling.

In the rain-hit washout against Punjab Kings, Rahane surprised everyone by choosing to bat, while against Chennai Super Kings he opted to bowl first on a surface that clearly favoured the bowlers.

Their first match defeat to Mumbai Indians after failing to defend 220 set the tone, and the heavy 65-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad at home only deepened the slide.

Since then, KKR have looked a side short on direction.

Advertisement

Much of the spotlight was on Cameron Green, bought for a record Rs 25.20 crore to fill the void left by Andre Russell.

The Australian all-rounder has struggled to justify that price tag, managing just 56 runs in five innings and making limited impact with the ball after being cleared to bowl.

The batting order, too, has looked confusing.

Sunil Narine was pushed up to open in their chase of 193, while Rahane, who has his best strike-rate in the power play, dropped to No 3, and neither move worked as KKR managed only 160/7 against CSK.

Advertisement

And then there is the unused domestic firepower of Manish Pandey, Rahul Tripathi and Sarthak Ranjan, who all are still warming the bench.

KKR now need something magical to turn it around and they must first address their tactical lapses.

They may also turn to the 2015 comeback story of Mumbai Indians who won the title after they losing five of their first six matches.

Gujarat Titans too are yet to win at home, having lost their only game here to Rajasthan Royals but since then they have bounced back with two morale-boosing away wins.

Advertisement

Their bowling has looked settled, with Prasidh Krishna delivering in the middle and death overs, and Rashid Khan rediscovering rhythm.

With Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler finding form, Gujarat Titans head into the contest with far greater balance and confidence.

Squads: Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Glenn Phillips, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Gurnoor Brar, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Sharma, Jason Holder, Tom Banton, Luke Wood, Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, Jayant Yadav, Kulwant Khejroliya.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Blessing Muzarabani, Navdeep Saini, Prashant Solanki, Finn Allen, Daksh Kamra, Kartik Tyagi, Sarthak Ranjan, Saurabh Dubey Match starts: 7.30pm.

Advertisement

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)


Featured Video Of The Day


Tushar Deshpande’s Brilliant Final Act Ensures Thrilling Win For RR Over Gujarat Titans

Topics mentioned in this article

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Sports

Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union Prediction and Betting Tips

Published

on

The two bottom sides in the MLS Western Conference table lock horns on Wednesday when Orlando City take on Philadelphia Union at the Inter&Co Stadium. While the hosts could pick up back-to-back home wins for the first time this season, Bradley Carnell’s men will be aiming to snap their run of five consecutive matches without a win.

Orlando City were sent crashing back to earth last Saturday as they fell to a 2-0 loss against CF Montreal when the two sides squared off at the Saputo Stadium.

Martin Perelman’s side had won their previous two outings, picking up a thrilling 4-3 victory over New England Revolution on April 30, four days before defeating Inter Miami by the same scoreline at Nu Stadium.

After four straight games on the road, Orlando return to the Inter&Co Stadium, where they have won two of their most recent three league games, with a 1-0 defeat against Houston Dynamo sandwiched between the two victories.

Elsewhere, Philadelphia Union failed to find their feet last weekend when they fell to a 2-1 defeat against New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium.

Carnell’s men have gone five consecutive games without a win, losing twice and claiming three draws, while managing just one win from their 12 MLS matches so far.

With just six points from a possible 36, Philadelphia Union sit rock-bottom in the Western Conference standings, four points and one spot below Wednesday’s hosts.

Advertisement

Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

  • Philadelphia Union hold a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture, having won nine of the last 24 meetings between the two teams.
  • Orlando City have picked up one fewer win in that time, while the spoils have been shared on seven occasions.
  • Orlando have lost just one of the last six matches against Philadelphia Union while picking up three wins and two draws since March 2023.
  • Philadelphia Union have failed to win seven of their last eight away games across all competitions, losing six and claiming one draw since February 22.

Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union Prediction

It has been a difficult start to the campaign for Orlando City and Philadelphia Union, and both sides know a positive result on Wednesday could be the catalyst for a run of good form.

Recent performances at home should give Orlando plenty of optimism and we see them getting the better of Carnell’s men, who have managed just one away win since February.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-1 Philadelphia Union


Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result – Orlando City to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals – Yes (There have been at least three goals scored in six of the last seven meetings between the two sides)

Advertisement

Tip 3: Both sides to score – Yes (Both sides have also scored in six of their last seven encounters)