It’s the Kolkata Knight Riders versus the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL’s match 54 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Here’s our analysis.
The SWOT for KKR
Strengths: The bowlers have impressed in a number of matches throughout the campaign. Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine are all wicket-taking options. They have been supported by the Indian pace trio of Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Naragkoti.
Weaknesses: The batting has let them down too often. The line-up is almost always getting shifted. The team also has a tendency to lose wickets early, which puts too much pressure on the rest of the batsmen.
Opportunities: It’s a must-win match that will get them to 14 points and give them the best chance to battle for a play-off spot.
Threats: Even a victory may not be enough as their net run rate is awful.
The SWOT for RR
Strengths: The batting has finally found some consistency. Ben Stokes has settled into his role as an opener and Sanju Samson has found some of his best form. Robin Uthappa, Steve Smith and Jos Buttler have also played vital cameos in recent matches.
Weaknesses: Jofra Archer continues to be the lone bowling warrior. He needs support but the Indian pacers have not been able to provide it. The spin duo of Rahul Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal have kept the batters quiet but have not got enough wickets. Opportunities: It’s a must-win match that will get them to 14 points. With some luck, they might be able to sneak into the play-offs.
Threats: Their run rate is pretty bad, so a victory may actually not be enough to take them forward.
Head to head:
Matches played: 22
Kolkata Knight Riders: 11
Rajasthan Royals: 10
No result: 1
Last five matches (most recent first):
Kolkata Knight Riders: L-L-W-L-W
Rajasthan Royals: W-W-L-W-L
What happened in the reverse fixture?
Shivam Mavi’s spell of 4-0-20-2 set up a 37-run win for KKR.
Deccan Herald’s Dream XI
Ben Stokes, Steve Smith (c), Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Aaron, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Jofra Archer
Team news
No injuries reported from either team.
Ground conditions
The sky will be hazy with the temperature around 27 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be about 62% with gentle winds.
Impact player for RR
Ben Stokes: With a quick-fire fifty and a hundred in the last two matches, he has got his mojo back. Stokes has led two successful chases for RR and has begun taking wickets as well.
Impact player for KKR
Varun Chakravarthy: He is one of the finds of the tournament. With 15 scalps, he is KKR’s leading wicket-taker. Many batsmen across teams haven’t been able to figure out his variations.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 7:30 PM IST.
