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IPL 2021 | RR vs KKR: Depleted Rajasthan and Kolkata try to revive fortunes

Aryasekhar Chakraborty

It will be a battle between two strugglers in Vivo IPL 2021 so far when the Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with a depleted Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the 18th match of the tournament. Both teams haven’t managed to tick most of the boxes required to win in big tournaments and have been found out. 

Kolkata Knight Riders started off their campaign with a resounding victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad but couldn’t quite build on the good start. They lost against the Mumbai Indians from a winning position and nothing seemed to go right from thereon. 

The last two matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Chennai Super Kings were dominated by the batsmen. The KKR bowlers were found out in front of a sensational onslaught from ABD and Maxwell against RCB and Du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad against the CSK. Even the captaincy standards from the world-class Eoin Morgan has lacked that bite on occasions. 

The top order has looked in good touch but barring Nitish Rana none has gone onto score consistently. Shubman Gill has looked good in patches but hasn’t managed to convert his starts. Rahul Tripathi started off the tournament well but has lacked consistency.

 In the match against CSK, it was a late surge from Andre Russell and Pat Cummins to get them that close. They had no right to reach over 200 after being reduced to 31/5 but some sublime hitting ensured KKR reached so close to the target. 

On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have gone from bad to worse. Nothing has worked in their favour and barring a victory against the Delhi Capitals, they have been pretty ordinary in almost all the matches. Sanju Samson showed his class against the Punjab Kings and almost helped them chase down a mammoth target but since then he has not produced any score of substance. The lack of consistency has been a concern with Samson and that seemed to be haunting him even this season. 

Million-dollar baby Chris Morris has been good in patches and helped them win against the Capitals with some whirlwind strokeplay. However, he hasn’t been the best with the ball. In the absence of Jofra Archer, he need to take more responsibility if Rajasthan hopes of turning their fortunes around. 

Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders; Match Details 

Match Number- 18 

Date and Time: April 24, 2021, 07:30 pm IST, 02:00 pm GMT 

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai 

Broadcast and Live Stream: Star Sports and Hotstar

Pitch Report 

Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is always known to produce batting paradises and it has been no different in this season so far. Barring one or two matches here and there, most of the matches have been high scoring and full of thrill. More than 400 runs were scored in the match between CSK and KKR. 

There has been turn on offer for bowlers and if you can pitch in the right areas, there is something for the bowlers as well. However the high scoring pattern should continue even tomorrow. 

Weather and Toss 

The weather in Mumbai is expected to be in the early 30 degrees. It has been pretty good conditions for cricket in Mumbai so far. Maximum temperature will be 33 while 28 is the minimum expected for tomorrow. The team winning the toss should’t have any hesitations chasing because this has been the trend at the Wankhede over the years. 

Team News 

Rajasthan Royals 

Royals is the weakest team on paper at the moment given how they have played over the years. They are missing the services of their two biggest players Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. With Archer being ruled out of the entirety of the IPL, the local guys and the other established players has to put their hands up and deliver for the team. 

Shreyas Gopal who was included in the previous game was totally based on his record against Kohli and ABD. The pitch was not suited to spinners and with Gopal, not in good form coming into the match, this was a desperate call from Rajasthan. They have to keep faith in their players. However, I feel it’s time Manan Vohra makes way for an elegant Yashasvi Jaiswal who didn’t get enough opportunities last year. 

Strongest XI 

Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman

Kolkata Knight Riders 

Now, what does KKR need to do to get their campaign back on track? A change in approach? Their approach hasn’t been that bad but their execution hasn’t been there. It’s always a tall task chasing over 200 in a T20 whichever stadium one might be playing at. For now I don’t find any changes in the team. Sunil Narine who returned to the team in the previous match could be given a chance to open. 

The bowling department looks settled and Kamlesh Nagarkoti who played the last match against the CSK should look to get some match time and have some wickets in his belt. Varun Chakravarthy will look to continue the good work while Pat Cummins has given them a solid option at the backend with his breezy knock against the Super Kings. 

Probable XI: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna

Dream11 Predictions/ Fantasy suggestions 

Wicket-keeper- Jos Buttler, Dinesh Karthik 

Batsmen-David Miller, Shubman Gill, Riyam Parag

All-rounders- Andre Russell, Chris Morris, Sunil Narine 

Bowlers- Mustafizur Rahman, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy

Captain- Shubman Gill 

Vice-captain- Jos Buttler

 

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