RR vs KKR, IPL Cricket Live Score: Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals seek turnaround after opening losses
Both teams struggled in their respective matches, with their batting and bowling units failing to deliver.
While Rajasthan’s bowlers could blame the flat Hyderabad pitch for their struggles, Kolkata had no such excuse. Apart from Sunil Narine, none of KKR’s bowlers managed to contain RCB’s batters, raising concerns, particularly about mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Despite playing on an Eden Gardens pitch that offered some grip, Chakravarthy was taken apart by Phil Salt and Virat Kohli.
The KKR camp hopes that the spinner will regain his rhythm on a Guwahati surface that traditionally offers some assistance. They will also be monitoring the fitness of Anrich Nortje, who is recovering from a back strain. If cleared by the medical team, the South African pacer is expected to replace Spencer Johnson in the playing XI.
KKR’s Middle Order Under Pressure KKR’s middle-order collapse in the previous match was another area of concern. Despite a fiery start from skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Narine, the team failed to capitalize, eventually posting a below-par total.
Key batters like Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell fell to premeditated cross-batted shots, something the team will look to rectify. KKR will also be hoping for a strong performance from Rinku Singh, who has struggled for runs in recent outings. His finishing ability is crucial in converting competitive totals into formidable ones. Rinku’s recent T20 form has been underwhelming, with scores of 11, 9, 8, 30, and 9 in his last five international innings, along with a 12 in the IPL opener.
RR’s Bowling Needs a Turnaround
On the other hand, Rajasthan’s bowling unit needs a major improvement after their dismal showing against SRH. Jofra Archer, who recorded the most expensive spell in IPL history by conceding 76 runs, along with Fazalhaq Farooqi and Maheesh Theekshana, struggled against the aggressive batting of Travis Head and Ishan Kishan. Guwahati presents them with a chance to redeem themselves.
Stand-in captain Riyan Parag also faces a leadership test. At times, he appeared uncertain in making key decisions against SRH, and the Royals will be looking for sharper decision-making from him in this crucial fixture.
Squads:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnity Sisodia, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markhande, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Chetan Sakariya.
Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (stand-in captain), Sanju Samson, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.
