Match 30 of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Both teams had started the tournament on a high before faltering in recent fixtures. Monday night's fixture will be played at the Brabourne Stadium where both teams are yet to win an IPL match.
Rajasthan's main worry has been their overdependence on Jos Buttler at the top. Given their long tail, they need their top five to get the bulk of the runs. However, apart from Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer, the others have faltered far too frequently. They have tried out Rassie van der Dussen in the middle order, but he is yet to get going this season. Even Sanju Samson and opener Devdutt Padikkal, consistently picked ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal, have been patchy.
Meanwhile, in bowling Trent Boult is likely to make a comeback in this match after missing out the last game. A lot will also depend on how their spin twins, R. Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, bowl against the KKR power-hitters.
Kolkata, meanwhile, have their own issues to sort out. Varun Chakravarthy not being among wickets is a concern. So far this season, whenever the the new-ball bowlers failed to make an impact upfront, KKR struggled to control the run flow in the middle overs.
Monday night's game will be Sunil Narine's 150th for KKR, who would like him to make the occasion memorable one. He has been bowling well this season despite not being among the wickets. With bat, Kolkata need at least one their top three to make a significant impact so that the likes of Andre Russell can provide a strong finish down the order.
Likely XIs
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal
Kolkata Knight Riders: Aaron Finch, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Aman Khan, Varun Chakravarthy
Fantasy tips
- With significant dew expected during this game, back pace more than spin. Pick Prasidh, Umesh, even the out-of-form Cummins.
- This venue is ideal for power hitting throughout, and the likes of Russell and Buttler should enjoy batting here.
- Back a swing bowler like Boult to take a few wickets upfront against the patchy KKR top-order.
Where to watch
Live streaming of Match 30 of IPL 2022 between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will start at 7.30 PM IST on April 18. You can watch the match on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar.