Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. Kolkata Knight Riders have won the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad with ease after losing the first match against Mumbai Indians. Kolkata Knight Riders will be eyeing to grab the second win of the tournament against Rajasthan Royals to keep up the momentum.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have won back to back two matches at the beginning of the tournament. However, they have played both matches in Sharjah. Now, they will have to play this match in another Stadium. So, the players will have to reassess the condition and give their best to continue their winning run in this tournament.
Pitch Report:
The match will be played at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. This ground is bigger in size compared to the other two grounds. So, the captain might choose to bat first and post a good total onboard which will certainly keep the chasing side under pressure.
Head To Head Record:
Total Matches Played: 21
Kolkata Knight Riders Won: 10
Rajasthan Royals Won: 10
No Result: 1
Predicted Starting XI; Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Rajasthan Royals:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti.
Rajasthan Royals:
Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Tom Curran, Ankit Rajpoot. Jaydev Unadkat.
Key Players:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Andre Russell
Shubhman Gill
Rajasthan Royals:
Steve Smith
Sanju Samson
Captain And Vice Captain Selection:
Captain Choices: Andre Russell, Steve Smith.
Vice-Captain Choices: Shubhman Gill, Sunil Narine, Sanju Samson, Jos Butter.
Probable Winner: Kolkata Knight Riders.
KKR has made two changes in the starting lineup against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Varun Chakravarthy and Kamlesh Nagarkoti have come in the side replacing Samdip Warrier and Nikhil Naik. It will be interesting to see how they line up against Rajasthan Royals in this match. Dinesh Karthik has used seven bowling options in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, their batting depth might be an issue in the next match.
Sunil Narine has not been in form this season and he has failed to start the innings with a blast for Kolkata Knight Riders so far in this tournament. Kuldeep Yadav has also not been at his best. These two factors will certainly be under the radar for the team management. However, the form of Shubham Gill will keep them happy. Pat Cummins has also bowled quite well in the second match after having a rusty spell against Mumbai Indians in the first match of the tournament.
On the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals’ batting lineup very much relies on their top three batsmen. Sanju Samson has been in excellent form this season. With his top performances, he will be eyeing to solidify his place in Indian National Team. Steve Smith has also played two important knocks for the franchise. They will hope that Jos Buttler will join the run-fest along with the other two very soon.