With a hope to seal a place in the playoffs, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will play the final game on the final double-header day of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 when they square off in Match 54 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
KKR are coming into this game on the back of their last-ball defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). On the other hand, RR will be approaching this game following their seven-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab.
KKR and RR have played 13 matches each and have the same win-loss ratio of 6:7. KKR though is marginally ahead of RR on the basis of the net run-rate.
Things are tricky for KKR as it takes on an in-form RR team. The batting continues to be problematic for KKR.
They added Rinku Singh to the team and while that added another batsman to the lineup, we are not sure it added too much quality. Also, the decision to send him above Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik in a crucial match was just bewildering.
There is a time to blood in youngsters and a time to take responsibility. KKR must ask more of its senior batsmen. One unknown is the status of Andre Russell. He has been missing for the last few matches and we don't think he will play again this season. If he does turn up somehow then it immediately makes KKR more dangerous.
Gill and Rana will have a very tough examination from Archer upfront but they can take advantage of the other RR bowlers. KKR has to avoid losing early wickets because it does not have the depth to recover from them.
Lockie Ferguson and Pat Cummins will lead the bowling attack. Sunil Narine and Varu Chakravarthy add some class in the bowling department but Kamlesh Nagarkoti is a weak link. We may see Prasiddh Krishna come in for him for this match.
Ben Stokes has roared into form at just the right time for RR. He has been the reason why RR has managed to chase down two big totals with ease in their previous two matches. Of course, the contribution of Sanju Samson cannot be underestimated either.
RR has barely needed Jos Buttler in the previous two chases and that should be scary for opposition teams. He came in smashed 22 runs from 11 balls to put the cherry on top but every single person who batted for RR made a difference.
Uthappa at the top, Stokes, Sanju Samson, Steve Smith, and Jos Buttler. Suddenly, this batting lineup is looking strong and has a lot in store. Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, and Jofra Archer all can bat and have in fact made important contributions in IPL 2020.
In terms of pure batting strength and form, hardly any team can match RR at the moment. They have a clear advantage over KKR in this respect.
The bowling is a work in progress for RR. Jofra Archer and the spinners are very good and dependable. However, Steve Smith may need to hold back the spinners against certain matchups and that means Ben Stokes has to step up. He bowled four overs in the previous match but he may not want to do so in every game to stay completely fit.
That leaves two bowlers that are a bit of a worry. Varun Aaron went for a lot of runs in the previous match as did Kartik Tyagi. There are not too many options for RR to turn to in the squad and it's likely that RR might just stick with the same lineup as they are winning.
Weather Conditions
The temperature is expected to fluctuate between 31-20 degrees celsius during the match. The forecast shows no chance of rain. The humidity will be around 45-52 per cent and the wind speed around 18 kmph.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Dubai International Stadium is a pretty balanced one and offers plenty of support to both the batsmen and the bowlers. It will be good one to bat on, as the last few games at this venue in IPL 2020 have seen a few relatively high-scoring encounters. There will be some turn on offer which will keep the slower bowlers interested. With one side of the ground being bigger than the other, it should be an intriguing battle between the batsmen and the spinners in the middle overs. Considering all that, the team batting first should be pretty happy with anything over 175 runs on the board.
Toss Prediction
With dew playing a role in the evening games, both teams could look to chase after winning the toss, which has been the new norm in IPL 2020. Both teams could look to chase after winning the toss, which has been the new norm in IPL 2020.
Head-to-Head and Stats:
Head to head: Matches Played: 16
Kolkata Knight Riders: 11
Rajasthan Royals: 10
Approaching Milestones
Shubham Gill needs 7 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs.
Nitish Rana requires 63 runs to complete 1500 IPL runs.
Ben Stokes needs 98 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs.
Jofra Archer is 5 wickets away from completing 50 IPL wickets.
Likely XIs:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (capt), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rinku Singh/Prasidh Krishna, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy
Rajasthan Royals: Ben Stokes, Robin Uthappa, Sanju Samson (wk), Steven Smith (capt), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron/Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi
Players to Watch Out For:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy
Rajasthan Royals: Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Steven Smith, Jos Buttler, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archeri
Match Odds:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 1.80
Rajasthan Royals: 2.0
SantaBanta's Winner Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders
IPL 2020 Winner Live Odds:
Mumbai Indians - 2.25
Royal Challengers Bangalore - 5
Delhi Capitals - 5.5
Kings XI Punjab - 9
Sunrisers Hyderabad - 11
Rajasthan Royals: 17
Kolkata Knight Riders: 17
Match Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Time: 7.30 PM IST
TV: Star Sports Network.
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP
