IPL 2018: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals – Match Preview
Nov 26, 2018 at 12:07 PM
A battle between two calmest skippers of the game is going to make its way on Wednesday (May 23). One side, it is Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who made an incredible turnaround. Whereas, on the other side, it is Rajasthan Royals (RR) who found their rhythm at the right moment.
Kolkata Knight Riders – Would like to carry-on winning momentum
Dinesh Karthik-led Knight Riders were never in the frame of the things after the back-to-back setbacks against Mumbai Indians (MI) but the incredible motivation by the skipper in all means and the equally passionate players have made it possible to pick the third spot in the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) points table.
Their batting department is doing a fine job with all the big guns understanding their role to the perfection.
Chris Lynn has become a smart player while Narine played a significant role. The only player who is yet to fire all his cylinders is Robin Uthappa whom KKR would love to see among the run scorers.
Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, and Shubman Gill are all in a decent nick while Andre Russell has become a hit or miss kind of player of late. However, they don’t mind until top-order batsmen are doing their job.
The bowling department has been heavily dependent on spin bowlers and Russell, who is fetching them the breakthroughs.
However, the emergence of Prasidh Krishna has been an icing on the cake for KKR, especially, with the tourney coming into that crucial phase.
Rajasthan Royals – Would like to ride on the positive momentum
When everyone was speaking about the progress of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai, Rajasthan outsmarted all of them enter royally into the playoffs without any run-rate calculations.
The youngsters in the side came up with a spirited performance, hopefully, they would repeat it again.
With no Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, Rahul Tripathi and Ajinkya Rahane should come with all their guns blazing again.
Sanju Samson who looked off-colour of late should be back among the runs in order to see his side knocking down Knight Riders at their home.
Heinrich Klaasen and Krishnappa Gowtham found their feet in the last game and they would once again be the key for Rajasthan – to secure those crucial runs during the slog overs of the game while Stuart Binny should get into his own as quickly as possible.
Possible Playing XI:
KKR: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik (c&wk), Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav
RR: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klassen (wk), Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Stuart Binny, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin
Pitch Report – A high-scoring game is on the cards with short boundaries on the offer. Fast bowlers will get the initial movement as well.
Weather Report – Not a great news as thunderstorms are expected during the fag-end of the game. In a case of washout, Kolkata Knight Riders will move forward on basis of points table advantage.
Date & Time – 23rd May 2018, 19:00 IST
Venue – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Live Telecast – Star Sports Network, Jio, and Hotstar Premium Customers.