The article talks about the upcoming match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Rinku Singh, who won his first Player-of-the-Match award against RR in the last season, will be in focus in this match. Both teams will play their third-last league game of the season, and the winner of this match will break away from the mid-table 10-pointer traffic jam. The game will be played on the same pitch as the last match, which is likely to play to KKR’s strengths again. The article also provides information on the team watch, possible XI for KKR and RR, and the tactics and matchups to watch out for.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been on an upward trajectory lately, with three wins in their last four games. Their most recent victory, against Punjab Kings, saw them chase down a challenging target of 185 runs with four balls to spare. KKR’s batting has been firing on all cylinders, with the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, and Andre Russell making valuable contributions in recent games. On the bowling front, KKR have relied heavily on their spinners, led by Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine, who have been successful in stifling opposition batsmen in the middle overs.
Rajasthan Royals (RR), on the other hand, have hit a rough patch, losing five of their last six games. They were beaten by Delhi Capitals in their last outing, as their batting failed to fire on all cylinders and they were restricted to a below-par total of 139 runs. RR’s batting has been heavily reliant on their top order, with Sanju Samson, David Warner, and Yashasvi Jaiswal making most of the runs for the team. However, the middle order has struggled to provide support, and that has been a major area of concern for RR. Their bowling has been decent, with Chris Morris and Mustafizur Rahman leading the attack, but they will need to step up if they are to get back to winning ways.
In terms of head-to-head record, KKR have a slight edge over RR, winning 13 of the 23 matches played between the two teams. However, RR have won the last two encounters, including a thrilling victory in their previous meeting this season. With both teams vying for a spot in the playoffs, this promises to be a closely contested match, with plenty of exciting matchups and potential game-changing moments.
Possible XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora/Umesh Yadav, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal.
