Key match-ups, analysis, form, team news, weather forecast, tickets, TV and streaming information, odds, predictions and more ahead of the latest encounter in the 2023 IPL
Gujarat Titans host Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2023 Indian Premier League.
The match is taking place on Sunday 9th April, with the start scheduled for 3:30pm local time (11am GMT).
Kolkata will make the journey to Ahmedabad, and the Narendra Modi Stadium, for this match.
The Titans have made the perfect start to their IPL title defence, with two wins from their first two matches. They got their campaign underway in the best possible way, beating Chennai Super Kings by five wickets, chasing down 179 in the final over.
They made it two wins from two against Delhi Capitals, again in a chase, with David Miller doing what he does, ending 31 not out from 16 balls to see the defending champions safely to victory. Rashid Khan has also started strongly, with five wickets from his first two games.
Kolkata boast a record of one win and one defeat so far this season, having bounced back from defeat in their opening game to Punjab Kings to earn a dominant victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Shardul Thakur took their score beyond 200 with an innings of 68 from just 29 balls, including three sixes, from No.7. The spinners, led by a four-wicket haul from Varun Chakravarthy, then played their role, setting-up a comprehensive 81-run victory.
David Miller is key for Gujarat Titans (Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images)
Jason Roy could be in line for his first IPL game for the Knight Riders, having been brought in as a replacement for Shakib Al-Hasan earlier in the week. The Bangladeshi all-rounder opted out for personal reasons. Shreyas Iyer is also out for the entirety of the tournament with a back injury.
Kane Williamson is set to miss the ODI World Cup in October with the knee injury he picked up in the Titans’ season opener, with Sri Lankan allrounder Dasun Shanaka called up in his place. Shanaka could make his maiden IPL appearance against KKR.
Sunil Narine is a certified T20 legend, and can turn the game in just a few balls with his magical mystery spin. However, one player that is yet to fall into this trap in David Miller, who is known for his ability to get teams over the line.
The two have faced off 13 times in T20s, with Narine only managed to get his man just once. Miller strikes at 137.5 against Narine, with 66 per cent of deliveries ending in scoring shots. This could see the effectiveness of the West Indian severely limited, especially if Miller is bearing down on a chase.
Matches played: 1
Gujarat Titans wins: 1
Kolkata Knight Riders wins: 0
The game is taking place at the hottest time of the day, with the temperature reaching 38 degrees Celsius during the match.
Andre Russell is a KKR stalwart (Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP via Getty Images)
Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Kane Williamson (injured, replaced by Dasun Shanaka), Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Josh Little, Mohit Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (injured), Nitish Rana (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N Jadadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das, Mandeep Singh, Shakib Al Hasan (unavailable), Jason Roy (replacement signing)
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan , Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Jason Roy, Mandeep Singh, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakar, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy
Gujarat Titans are the favourites for this one, with odds of 8/11. You can back the Kolkata Knight Riders at 11/10.
The Titans are on a roll at the moment and will take advantage of the Knight Riders’ inconsistency to make it three wins in a row.
In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.
Fans in India can watch all the action on Star Sports.
Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.
Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.
Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.
If you are watching from the Middle East, you'll be able to view the game on Times Internet.
People from Bangladesh can watch the game on Gazi TV.
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