IPL 2022 | KKR vs RR | Match 30 Preview, Predictions, Probable XI, CREX XI

Rajasthan Royals will go head-to-head against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 30th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on 18th April at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. 

Rajasthan Royals come into this game on the back of a defeat against Gujarat Titans by 37 runs after failing to chase a target of 193 runs. With three wins from five games, the Royals are placed at the fifth spot on the points table. 

Heading into their sixth game, they have a few areas of concern that need to be addressed ahead of the KKR clash. The team has heavily relied on Jos Buttler at the top with the lack of proper middle-order batters who can steady the ship consistently. 

After a good start, Sanju Samson looked off and has struggled against pace. However, Shimron Hetmyer has lived up to the role of finisher as he stepped up and delivered a couple of good knocks for the team. 

The Royals have also struggled in death overs, conceding too many runs, while Yuzvendra Chahal has outperformed in the middle order. RR missed the services of their pace star Trent Boult in the previous game against Gujarat. Though, he is expected to make a comeback against KKR on Monday. 

On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders are coming off two back-to-back defeats. They lost their last match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets after scoring 175 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs.

The Knight Riders have similar woes as their top order hasn't fired yet. In their previous game, they had dropped Ajinkya Rahane, with Aaron Finch replacing him at the top. However, the experiment failed miserably as the Australian continued his poor form with the bat, even in a purple outfit. 

Venkatesh Iyer, one of their match-winners in IPL 2021, is struggling to get off the mark for KKR this season. The poor execution and planning have seen KKR bowlers getting smashed all over the park in the last couple of games, and going forward into the tournament; they need to come up with better strategies to win games. 

RR will start as the clear favourite with a balanced side at their disposal. However, one can't take KKR lightly as they look to spring a surprise over Rajasthan Royals. It will be a cracking game at Mumbai, with some of the best T20 players taking to the field from both sides. 

Match Details

Match: Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 30

Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Date & Time: 18th April at 7:30 PM IST & Local Time

Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar 

Pitch Report 

The Pitch at Brabourne Stadium offers decent support to the batters, while the pacers are expected to enjoy bowling in the game's initial hours. The spinners might come into the game as the match progresses. Considering dew is a significant factor, both teams will look to bowl first after winning the toss. Anything around 180 could be a safe total at this venue. 

Pitch Stats [Last 5 Matches] 

Matches Played: 5

Matches Won Batting First: 3

Matches Won Bowling First: 2

Average 1st Inning Score: 192

Average 2nd Inning Score: 169

Team Form [Last 5 Matches]

RR: L W L W W 

KKR: L L W W L  

Key Matchups

Buttler vs Narine: 56/2 at 113 SR

Samsom vs Narine: 47/3 at 80 SR

Buttler vs Varun: 12/2 at 150 SR

Nitish Rana vs Chahal: 56/4 at 109 SR

Samson vs Umesh: 79/ 3 at 180 SR

Hetmyer vs Narine 32/1 at 71 SR

RR vs KKR Head-To-Head

Matches Played: 25

RR Won: 11

KKR Won: 13

No Result: 01

Injury Update/Players' Availability

Rajasthan Royals: Trent Boult is fit and likely to replace James Neesham in the playing eleven. 

Kolkata Knight Riders: They will go with an unchanged playing combination.

Squads

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Rassie van der Dussen, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, James Neesham, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult, Karun Nair, Navdeep Saini, KC Cariappa, Daryl Mitchell, Obed McCoy, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anunay Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Garhwal. 

Kolkata Knight Riders

Venkatesh Iyer, Aaron Finch, Shreyas Iyer (C), Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Sheldon Jackson (WK), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Aman Hakim Khan, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Tim Southee, Sam Billings, Mohammad Nabi, Chamika Karunaratne, Ajinkya Rahane, Baba Indrajith, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Shivam Mavi, Pratham Singh, Abhijeet Tomar, Ashok Sharma, Ramesh Kumar, Harshit Rana

Probable Playing XI  

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Rassie van der Dussen, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult/James Neesham, Kuldeep Sen, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Aaron Finch, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson (WK), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Aman Hakim Khan, Varun Chakravarthy

CREX XI Suggestion

Wicket-Keeper: Sheldon Jackson, Jos Buttler

Batters: Shreyas Iyer, Shimron Hetmyer, Nitish Rana, Devdutt Padikkal

All-Rounders: Andre Russell, Pat Cummins

Bowlers: Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult

Captain: Shreyas Iyer

Vice-Captain: Yuzvendra Chahal