GL vs KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the most followed teams in the IPL. KKR also are one of the most successful and consistent teams with two titles in their kitty. Gujarat Lions, on the other hand, brought a new flavour to the IPL during their stay in 2016 and 2017. GL made it to the playoffs in the very first season and also finished at the top of the points table to challenge for the top spot. The Lions managed to get an upper-hand over the Kolkata-based franchise when two sides locked horns.

KKR vs GL Head to Head

KKR and GL met four times during the 2016 and 2017 IPL seasons. The Lions did manage to win 3 games and the Knight Riders could manage only a single win. KKR lost both of their home games against Gujarat Lions and could manage only a single away win in their 4 games.

Last 4 Meetings

Gujarat Lions established their dominance over the Knight Riders with a scoreline of 3-1 in the last four games. In 2016, Gujarat Lions completed a season double over the Knight Riders after winning both home and away games. In 2017, KKR managed to win the away game, but the Lions did return the favour by beating KKR at their home in the next game.

KKR vs GL 2017 meetings

In 2017, the first match between KKR and GL was played at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. The visitors won the toss and invited the Lions to bat first in GL vs KKR 2017 IPL game. The Knight Riders managed to remove the opener Jason Roy early in the innings. The other opener, Brendon McCullum, alongside Suresh Raina added quick 50 runs for the 2nd wicket. He scored 35 runs off 24 deliveries before getting out. The next batsman Aaron Finch got out cheaply in his quest to increase the run-rate. However, Dinesh Karthik did well to stick around Raina and score some quick runs. Both players added 87 runs before DK was dismissed for 47 runs off 25 deliveries on the last delivery of the innings. Suresh Raina remained not out for 68 runs. Kuldeep Yadav picked up 2 wickets for 25 runs in his 4 overs. Gujarat Lions posted a total of 183/4 in 20 overs. Chasing the target, Kolkata made a light work of the target. Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn completed the chase inside 15 overs without losing a wicket. While Gautam Gambhir scored 76 runs unbeaten of 48 deliveries, Chris Lynn exploded with 91 runs unbeaten off 41 deliveries. He hit 8 sixes during his knock to derail GL’s bowling.

The reverse fixture was played at the iconic Eden Gardens where Gujarat Lions won the toss and opted to bowl first. Kolkata Knight Riders were off to a flyer courtesy Sunil Narine (42 runs off 17 deliveries). The spinner added 45 runs in 3.2 overs alongside Gautam Gambhir for the first wicket. After the departure of Narine, Gambhir (33 runs) added 69 runs with Robin Uthappa for the 2nd wicket. Uthappa scored 72 runs off 48 deliveries before getting out. Manish Pandey and Yousuf Pathan did the finishing job towards the end, and KKR posted a total of 187/5 in 20 overs.

Chasing the target, Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum provided Gujarat Lions with an explosive start. The openers added 42 runs in 3.3 overs for the first wicket before Finch was dismissed at a score of 31 runs. B Mac (33 runs off 17 deliveries) added another 31 runs alongside Suresh Raina for the 2nd wicket. From that juncture, the Lions kept losing wicket at the one end, but Suresh Raina kept scoring runs with the full flow at the other end. Ravindra Jadeja managed to stick around his skipper, and Raina took his team closer to the target. He scored 84 runs off 46 deliveries before getting dismissed. Jadeja and James Faulkner completed the formalities to complete a brilliant win by 4 wickets with 1.4 overs remaining. Kuldeep Yadav was the only bowler who impressed for Kolkata with the figures of 2/33 in 4 overs. Suresh Raina was awarded player of the match for his whirlwind knock

Top Batsmen for Kolkata Knight Riders

Gautam Gambhir leads the batting charts for the Knight Riders against Gujarat Lions with a total of 122 runs in 4 games. Robin Uthappa follows him with 111 runs in 3 innings for KKR against the Lions from Gujarat. Yousuf Pathan has also scored 110 runs in 3 innings against GL. Australian batsman Chris Lynn did manage to score 91 runs for KKR in the single game he played vs Gujarat Lions.

Top Bowlers for Kolkata Knight Riders

Kuldeep Yadav is the leading wicket-taker for KKR against Gujarat Lions with 4 wickets in just 2 games. He is followed by the leggie Piyush Chawla and Nathan Coulter-Nile who have picked up 2 wickets each against GL for KKR. Umesh Yadav has also accounted for one wicket in 2 games for KKR against the Gujarat-based franchise.