Having won only one out of the four matches they have played so far in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be desperate to turn things around when they meet Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), another team with a similar win percentage, at Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai.
The tournament is yet to reach its halfway point but Rajasthan Royals have already suffered a series of setbacks that have pushed them into survival mode. They started their journey without Jofra Archer, but with the hope that he will join them after the initial stage. Now that hope has perished as well.
Jofra Archer became the third Englishman, after Ben Stokes and Liam Livingstone, to miss the remainder of IPL 2021. While Livingstone was not a certainty XI, Stokes and Archer were, and Rajasthan will be missing two of the most vital cogs of their vehicle for the rest of the journey.
RR’s stint in this edition has been restricted to shades of individual brilliance. Jos Buttler and Manan Vohra have failed to provide them with good starts. They may replace Vohra with Yashasvi Jaiswal. After his dazzling hundred against Punjab Kings, captain Sanju Samson has got 4, 1 and 21 in his next three outings.
David Miller has fizzled out after his match-winning knock against Delhi Capitals. He got a two-ball duck against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The RR bowlers have endured a fair share of thrashing in their last match. Four out of six bowlers they utilised went for over ten runs per over as RCB chased down a 178-run target without losing wickets.
Kolkata Knight Riders have failed to win in three attempts since defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 10 runs in their opening fixture. They came close to the win in their last match but a faltering start from top-order meant even Andre Russell and Pat Cummins’s heroics were not enough in the end.
While Nitish Rana has been the leading run-scorer for KKR, Shubman Gill is yet to fire on the top. Eoin Morgan has scored just 45 runs in four innings. KKR need more from their skipper. Rahul Tripathi has shown fierce attacking instinct, but he needs to stay a bit longer on the crease.
Russell’s return to form has been a relief to them. Sunil Narine’s inclusion has bolstered their batting unit. The KKR pacers leaked too many runs against CSK. Cummins gave away 58 runs in four overs, Prasidh Krishna went for over 12 an over, while Russell gave away 27 in two overs.
Head to head
Kolkata is ahead with a 12-10 scoreline. Moreover, KKR have six out of seven matches against RR since 2018.
Key Players
Shubman Gill (Kolkata Knight Riders): While Rana has blazed away at one end, Gill has not had a fruitful outing so far, which has hurt the team. He is supremely talented, and it is a matter of time before he regains his touch.
Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals): Samson has failed to carry on the momentum from his brilliant 119 against PBKS. He will be wary of Narine, who has dismissed him thrice.
Probable XIs
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna
Prediction
Rajasthan Royals to come on the top in what looks like an exciting battle between two teams desperate to get back to winning ways.