KOL vs RAJ Match Prediction:It is the battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the points table. If Knight Riders win this contest, they will move to the top of the table as they have a better run rate than Royals. Both teams are coming off with victories in their previous games, although, in contrasting ways. It will be a cracker of a contest. Kolkata Knight Riders will start as favorites on their home ground.
League: Indian Premier League 2024
Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals
Date: 16th April, 2024
Time: 7:30 PM
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Kolkata Knight Riders are having a terrific IPL campaign. They have won 4 out of 5 games and are at second spot in the points table. They have a power-packed batting line-up. Phil Salt has been in blistering form while Shreyas Iyer has accumulated crucial runs as well. With Rinku Singh and Andre Russell in the lower order, KKR has one of the best finishers of the competition. The bowling department received a huge boost with Mitchell Starc getting better with every game. The experienced mystery spinners have been tough to get away and they will pose a challenge to RR’s in-form batters.
If KKR is at second spot, Rajasthan Royals are at the top position in the table. Their opening pair is yet to fire but the middle order batters Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag have been exceptional so far. Jos Buttler has scored a century this season but apart from that, he has had a below-par season so far. Shimron Hetmyer has been excellent in the finishing role like he did in the last game. The bowling department relies on new ball wickets from Trent Boult. Kuldeep Sen has added an extra yard with his high pace while the experienced spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin have been difficult to put away.
There are no updates on Nitish Rana’s availability and he is likely to be unavailable for this game. Kolkata are likely to bring in Varun Chakravarthy as the impact player when they are bowling.
Jos Buttler and R Ashwin are expected to be back after missing the previous games. Rajasthan can bring in Rovman Powell as the impact player if they want to strengthen their batting. If the aim to strengthen the bowling, they can bring in Keshav Maharaj as the impact player.
The match will be played at.Eden Gardens, Kolkata. It is expected to be a belter of a pitch for batting. Expect some high scores during the match with fas outfield.
The weather will be clear with no chance of rain. The temperature will be around 29 degrees with humidity as high as 81%.
Shreyas Iyer – Shreyas Iyer has been in good form this season. He has looked to bat long unlike other KKR batters who have played with an attacking intent. He looked in great form in the last game too. Iyer has scored 129 runs at an average of 43 this season.
Sanju Samson – The Rajasthan skipper has been in fabulous form this year. He has batted with consistency and responsibility so far. Samson is likely to enjoy batting on a flat surface at Eden Gardens and could get a big score here. In IPL 2024, he has scored 264 runs at an average of 66 and is the third-highest run-getter of the tournament so far.
Yuzvendra Chahal – Chahal’s ability to pick up wickets makes him a top player for fantasy team of this game. He is a wicket-taking bowler and always finds ways to pick up crucial wickets. He currently holds the Purple cap as well with 11 wickets in 6 matches so far at an average of 14.81.
Sunil Narine – Narine has had a good all-round season so far. He has the ability to get quick runs at the top and is an excelllent wicket-taking option with the ball as well. He has scored 167 runs this season at an average of 33.40 and a strike rate of 183.51. He has also picked up 5 wickets with the ball.
Riyan Parag – Parag failed to get a big score in the last game but is having a dream IPL so far. He is currently the second highest run-scorer of IPL 2024 with 284 runs at an average of 71. He will be eager to get a big score in this game after missing out in the last match.
Ramandeep Singh – Ramandeep Singh neither bowled nor batted in the last match. The allrounder has got limited opportunities to bat or bowl this season. He might not fetch many points and can be avoided for this game.
Dhruv Jurel – After impressing in the initial games, Jurel’s graph has gone down a bit. He faces limited amount of balls as he comes lower down the order and has to play high-risk shots according to the situation. He can be avoided for this game.
Also read: After Ashwin, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan takes unnecessary dig at Harsha Bhogle
It is the battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the points table. If Knight Riders win this contest, they will move to the top of the table as they have a better run rate than Royals. Both teams are coming off with victories in their previous games, although, in contrasting ways. It will be a cracker of a contest. Kolkata Knight Riders will start as favorites on their home ground.
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