After securing a big win against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden the Knights next face defending Champions Gujarat Titans who have looked in prime form winning both their games so far in TATA IPL 2023. The Knights will go into this game with confidence on the back of the win in midweek but will also be aware of the threat the Titans bring on the pitch.
Our spinners looked in imperious form in the previous game, sharing 9 wickets between themselves to mark the biggest haul for spinners in an IPL innings. Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the lot picking 4 crucial wickets and the Knights will be hoping he continues to be in the thick of things as the season progresses.
Whilst the top order struggled for runs, Rahmanullah Gurbaz stood tall in the last game, becoming the first Afghani player to score a 50 in IPL history. The think tank will once again count on him to lay a foundation for the middle order to exploit. Skipper Rana will be hoping other top order stalwarts also quickly find their feet as reliance on the lower order to bail the team out on multiple occasions would be too big of an ask. The availability of Jason Roy and Lockie Ferguson, two seasoned overseas pros further solidifies the strength of the squad and both these players could have a major role to play in the coming matches.
Gujarat Titans emerged comfortable winners in their opener against the Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium. With hardly any chance of rain and temperatures rising to around the 40 degree mark, the pitch is unlikely to have much in it for the bowlers and could favour teams who bat 2nd. The Knights will have made notes on how Titans spinner Rashid Khan managed to extract some help from the track at the Narendra Modi Stadium and the spinners could have a key role to play in this contest.
The Knights have faced the Titans only once before tomorrow’s fixture, in a closely contested affair at the DY Patil Sports Complex in Mumbai last year, which the defending champions edged by 8 runs. Choosing to bat first after winning the toss the Titans put up 156 runs for the loss of 9 wickets on the board. At one stage it looked the Titans would score well beyond 170, but a stunning last over from Andre Russell which saw him pick up 4 wickets for just 5 runs turned the game on its head. The Jamaican then starred with the bat hitting 6 sixes in his 45 of 28 balls but fell to fellow West Indian compatriot Alzarri Joseph in the final over, which left the Knights shy of the target.
On Sunday both teams meet at the Narendra Modi Stadium, looking to cement their respective positions at the top half of the TATA IPL 2023 table. The hosts will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start, whilst the Knights will be looking to get their first win against the Titans. All signs point to an intriguing affair in Gujarat on Sunday!
