Knight Riders brace for Shami challenge in clash against Lucknow Super Giants

'Local' man Shami, a fine exponent of straight seam bowling and movement, will relish the conditions at Eden Gardens and could emerge as a key threat for KKR

Kolkata: Out of tune and bereft of ideas, Kolkata Knight Riders may ring in sweeping changes in search of their first win of the season when they face a Mohammed Shami-inspired Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, here on Thursday.

Shami is fresh from his outstanding 2/9 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he dismissed Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in successive overs — the same duo who had battered KKR the other day.

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The ‘local’ man Shami, a fine exponent of straight seam bowling and movement, will relish the conditions at Eden Gardens and could emerge as a key threat for a KKR who are yet to win after three matches.

A glimpse of what to expect was seen on Monday when PBKS’ Australian speedster Xavier Bartlett showed how effective straight seam bowling can be on a grassy Eden pitch, blowing away KKR’s top order by dismissing overseas duo Finn Allen and Cameron Green in the space of three balls.

From 16/2 in two overs, KKR were fortunate to escape with a point after their match against Punjab Kings was washed out.

Because of a trough stretching from Gangetic West Bengal to the Gulf of Mannar, rain has been constant over the past three days and is forecast around late Wednesday and early Thursday.

However, being a late 7.30pm start the match is unlikely to be affected much, which should lift the mood.

Coming back to the contest, while Shami will be a major threat in the power play, tackling the rest of LSG’s attack, including Prince Yadav and mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi could also be decisive.

LSG’s strength lies in their power play bowling, something evident when they reduced both Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad to identical scores of 26/4 early on.

KKR with their fragile batting it would be an interesting contest early on.

KKR have persisted with the Ajinkya Rahane-Finn Allen opening combination with mixed results, but may look to restore balance by reuniting the Kiwi duo of Allen with Tim Seifert, who has been overlooked in a baffling decision.

Rachin Ravindra could also come into contention in the middle order, offering an additional spin option.
KKR’s biggest concern has been the poor returns of Sunil Narine (one wicket for 69 runs in eight overs) and India spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who is yet to take a wicket.

Both were indisposed in the last game against PBKS and could return, while the team may also look at their find Daksh Kamra, an emerging ‘mystery’ spinner.

Their costliest overseas buy, Rs 25.20-crore recruit Cameron Green (18, 2, 4), has struggled with the bat and is yet to bowl due to Cricket Australia’s workload management guidelines.

While KKR have continued to back him, Rovman Powell was brought in during the washed-out game.

LSG, meanwhile, will be buoyed by their recent win, especially with the way Rishabh Pant, batting at No. 3, showed maturity and game awareness to anchor the chase with an unbeaten 68.

The LSG also boast of Aussie skipper Mitchell Marsh and veteran Aiden Markram in top-three as their match-up against struggling KKR bowlers would be a key contest.