IPL 2016, KKR vs RPS Playing 11: Today's Probable XI for Kolkata Knight Riders and Rising Pune Supergiants

Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders will clash against newcomers Rising Pune Supergiants in the 45th match of the VIVO IPL 2016. KKR have been in very good form throughout the tournament and currently occupy the 4th spot on the points table. RPS, on the other hand, have been struggling to do well in their debut season and are the only team to have crashed out of the race for the playoffs. The Knight Riders will be looking to register a victory which will help them move closer to a playoff berth whereas the Supergiants will want to get a few wins under their belt before their campaign in the 2016 IPL comes to an end.

Here's the likely team that may play for Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday:

Batting

Skipper Gautam Gambhir has been the leading run-scorer for KKR with 398 runs in 10 innings thus far. His opening partner, Robin Uthappa, has also been quite impressive with 327 runs in his kitty including 3 half-centuries. Yusuf Pathan has proved his mettle this season with 228 runs at a tremendous average of close to 115 and a blazing strike rate of over 160.

Among other important contributors with the bat for the Knight Riders are Andre Russell with 149 runs and Suryakumar Yadav with 131 runs. The likes of Colin Munro and Chris Lynn had been brought in for a couple of matches each but they failed to do well. Shakib Al Hasan had been struggling for quite some time but he struck form with a half-century against Gujarat Lions.

All-rounders

Russell has been KKR's primary all-rounder during the 2016 edition of the IPL with a few cameos down the order as well as a number of wickets. Shakib, too, has bowled decently and has also rediscovered his form with the bat in hand. The only other all-rounder to have played for the Knight Riders is Rajagopal Sathish, who could not make an impact with either bat or ball.

Bowling

Andre Russell has dominated the bowling statistics for his team in the 9th IPL season with 14 wickets so far in 10 matches. Indian speedster Umesh Yadav has been their second highest wicket-taker with 10 wickets in 9 games. Piyush Chawla, the leggie, has also been quite impressive for his 9 wickets.

Morne Morkel and Sunil Narine may not have played regularly in the 2016 IPL but have managed to add a few wickets to their kitty. Barring a few matches, the KKR bowlers have been up to the mark and have played a vital role in the team's success.

Probable Playing XI

Gautam Gambhir (c), Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav.

Here's how Rising Pune Supergiants may line up for the match:

Batting

Opener Ajinkya Rahane has been the most dependable batsman in the RPS batting line-up with 417 runs at an average of just over 46. Skipper MS Dhoni has also been in decent form and scored 212 runs from 10 innings. Saurabh Tiwary has impressed a bit ever since he was moved to the top order and has scored 2 half-centuries in the tournament.

The Supergiants lost as many as three frontline batsmen as a result of injuries to Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith and Faf du Plessis. Their replacements, Usman Khawaja and George Bailey, have not managed to create much of an impression in the few matches that they have played.

All-rounders

Sri Lankan Thisara Perera has been Pune's best all-rounder in their debut season with some useful runs in the lower-order and a few handy wickets. Albie Morkel was tried for a couple of matches in the all-rounder role but he was unable to produce the goods. Injuries also plagued RPS in the all-rounders department with Mitchell Marsh having to leave midway.

Bowling

Young Australian leggie Adam Zampa is the top wicket-taker for the Supergiants with 8 wickets in just 2 matches. Zampa recorded the best figures of this IPL season when he picked 6 for 19 against SRH, albeit in a losing cause. Perera has also claimed 8 wickets in his 9 matches whereas paceman Ashok Dinda has 7 wickets to his name.

Among other bowlers, Murugan Ashwin has picked up 7 wickets but these came only in his first 5 matches and he has gone wicket-less in 4 matches ever since. Ravichandran Ashwin has been quite miserly with an economy rate of under 7 but has failed to take wickets with just 4 from 11 matches till now. Rajat Bhatia, meanwhile, has been impressive for his 6 wickets and has conceded his runs at just 7.17 per over.

Probable Playing XI

Ajinkya Rahane, Usman Khawaja, Saurabh Tiwary, George Bailey, MS Dhoni (c) (wk), Thisara Perera, Irfan Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rajat Bhatia, Adam Zampa, Ashok Dinda.