The Kolkata Knight Riders, having already clinched their place in the playoffs, will face the Rajasthan Royals in the final double-header of the league stage on Sunday at the Barsapara Stadium. The Knight Riders, who have secured the top spot in the standings, will be looking to add another victory to their tally and conclude their group stage campaign on a positive note.
On the other hand, the Royals have their work cut out for them, needing to win their final league match to finish second in the table and earn two crucial advantages in the knockout stage. Both teams will be without their star English players, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore replacing Jos Buttler in RR and Rahmanullah Gurbaz potentially making his debut for KKR.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Likely XI):
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Manish Pandey, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora
Rajasthan Royals (Likely XI):
Yashaswi Jaiswal, Tom-Kohler Cadmore, Sanju Samson(c/wk), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen
Key Players:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
– Sunil Narine: The Trinidadian all-rounder has emerged as KKR’s leading run-scorer this season, forming formidable partnerships with Phil Salt. He has amassed 461 runs in 12 matches at an impressive strike rate of 182.84, including three half-centuries and a century.
– Varun Chakravarthy: The mystery spinner has bamboozled opposition batsmen with his variations. He is the leading wicket-taker for KKR with 18 scalps in 12 matches at an economical rate of 8.34.
– Andre Russell: The Jamaican all-rounder is a force to be reckoned with, capable of turning the tide of a match with his power-hitting and aggressive bowling. He has contributed 222 runs at a strike rate of 185 in 12 matches, along with 15 wickets.
– Mitchell Starc: The Australian speedster has rediscovered his form after a shaky start to the season. He is renowned for his toe-crushing yorkers and has claimed 12 wickets in 11 matches.
Rajasthan Royals:
– Riyan Parag: The left-handed batsman has bounced back from a string of underwhelming performances in previous seasons. He is the highest run-getter for RR with 531 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 152.59, including four half-centuries.
– Sanju Samson: The Royals’ captain has been a standout performer this season, playing several match-winning knocks. He has scored 504 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 156.52, with multiple half-centuries to his name.
– Yuzvendra Chahal: The experienced leg-spinner has been RR’s leading wicket-taker, scalping crucial wickets at critical junctures. He has claimed 17 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 9.38.
– Yashaswi Jaiswal: The young opener has provided solid starts alongside Jos Buttler for RR, playing a pivotal role in the team’s success. In Buttler’s absence, he will be expected to shoulder more responsibility and accumulate as many runs as possible.
Venue Details:
The Barsapara Cricket Stadium is a batting paradise, offering high scores for batsmen. Although it is RR’s second home ground, they have only played one match there this season, which they unfortunately lost to PBKS while batting second. Teams generally prefer to bat first on this ground to post a substantial total.
Match Prediction:
While both teams have already qualified for the playoffs, a victory will be the icing on the cake for them. RR will be particularly determined to win after losing their last four matches, and they will be keen to give it their all against KKR to secure the second spot. Playing on their home ground, they will be confident of capitalizing on their chances against the table-toppers.
Fantasy XI:
Yashaswi Jaiswal, Sunil Narine (c), Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Dhruv Jurel, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mitchell Starc, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult
