Will KKR play Liton today?

Will stylish wicketkeeper-batter Liton Das make his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut on Friday against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens? Probably, this is what every Bangladeshi cricket fan pondering right now.  

Whether Liton will get a place in the best eleven of Kolkata Knight Riders has been at the forefront of every discussion for IPL fans on this side of the border but with Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz settling in and England’s hard-hitter Jason Roy amongst the opening ranks, Liton’s chances of starting do appear a bit slim. 

KKR have got their campaign off to a decent start, winning two of their first three matches in the ongoing season.

In the three matches, however, they went with three different opening combinations, with one constant that was Gurbaz. The Afghan partnered Mandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, and Narayan Jahadeeshan in the first three matches, respectively.

Gurbaz has scored 94 runs so far at a strike-rate of 130.55, including a 44-ball 57 in the second match that contributed to his side’s 81-run win against Royal Challenger’s Bangalore.

To fill their foreign quota, KKR have gone with the usual options– Andre Russel, Sunil Narine, and Tim Southee—which seem to be the most likely combination to play a lion’s share of the matches. 

Even if Liton does not get a chance right away, the batter must be ready whenever the opportunity presents itself.