RR vs KKR Match Preview & Prediction XI
DUBAI – THE GROUND FOR SUPER OVERS
Dubai International Stadium has hosted 5 matches thus far in the Dream 11 IPL. 2 of those 5 matches have gone to the super over!
The Knights take on the Royals in Dubai in what seems to be another nail-biting encounter.
RAJASTHAN MOVES OUT OF SHARJAH
Rajasthan Royals have so far played their matches in Sharjah, a small ground that saw a mammoth 224 runs getting chased. Rajasthan’s bowlers will heave a sigh of relief as they move out of Sharjah and will have fairly long boundaries to aid them.
Archer – The Finisher
Jofra Archer has proved so far to be the finisher with the bat for RR, a department that they would be worried about. Archer’s hitting prowess has helped Rajasthan capitalize on their quality top order.
Archer made 27(8) and 13(3) against CSK and KXIP respectively, helping his side close out the game.
Tewatia – An Indian All-Rounder at Display
Tewatia has now become a very popular name and why shouldn’t it be. But apart from his brutal onslaught against KXIP, he is a good leg-spinner too. Not to forget his 3 crucial wickets in the first game against CSK. In the absence of Ben Stokes, Tewatia has emerged the all-rounder that RR wanted.
Tye for Tom?
Tom Curran’s humble performances can see the experienced Andrew Tye come into the side on Wednesday.
KKR GETS THE BALL ROLLING
Kolkata, after a rather embarrassing defeat in their inaugural game against MI, made a strong comeback against SRH and has probably gotten the ball rolling early on in the tournament.
An All-Round Top Order
In Gill, Narine, Rana, Karthik and Morgan, KKR has nearly all bases covered. Gill showed how well he can play the anchor role in the last match. Rana displayed that he can go all cylinders firing from ball one. It’s a top order that can adapt to any match situation and the KKR fans will surely draw confidence from this.
Narine – No More The Opener?
Narine, in the last IPL was not used as an opener in the last 4 games of the season. Chris Lynn and Shubman Gill opened the batting. In this season, Narine has had a shaky start with the bat scoring just 9 and 0 in the first two games. New ball bowlers seem to have found Narine’s number and the short balls trouble him is not hidden from the public eye anymore.
It will be interesting to see how long does KKR persists with Narine as an opener. And if he doesn’t play as an opener, who does? Will it be Rana or will Banton come in? But Banton’s inclusion can make their bowling thin. Narine, mind you, has done pretty well with the ball.
Plenty of Bowling Options
Karthik used 7 bowlers in the last game against SRH. It looks like KKR doesn’t want to over-burden Russell as he bowled just the two overs in the death. Plenty of bowling options can provide KKR the liberty to refrain a bowler from bowling on his off-day.
PREDICTED XI
KKR: Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine/Tom Banton, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik (c,wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi
RR: Jos Buttler(wk), Steve Smith(c), Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Jofra Archer, Tom Curran/Andrew Tye, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat
DATE: 30th September 2020
PLACE: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai
TIME: 7:30 pm IST
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