IPL 2018: Match 15, RR vs KKR, Preview- Knights on a mission to conquer Rajasthan's fortress

Both teams have had thumping victories under their belts, going into the game.

Published - 17 Apr 2018, 20:23 IST | Updated - 17 Apr 2018, 20:23 IST

4 Min Read

After a couple of dominating victories in their erstwhile games, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will now face off at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur. The track at the venue is expected to be favourable for the fast-bowlers from what was seen during the Royals’ erstwhile rain-curtailed game against the Delhi Daredevils (DD).

Meanwhile, the Knights don’t have the best of seamers in ranks. Mitchell Starc would have been a handful on such a wicket and Tom Curran, his replacement hasn’t had overwhelming outings thus far. Andre Russell has also been erratic with the leather, who he restricted the Delhi batsmen. Meanwhile, Rajasthan has some decent pacers in Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni and Ben Laughlin in their ranks.

However, the Knights batsmen, especially middle-order has been in prime form and Rajasthan can’t afford complacency against them. Meanwhile, the crowd at the venue would be hoping for the heavens to not open up and for a complete match to take place. The Knights are in the second position while the Royals are hanging in the middle of the table.

Team Combination

Rajasthan Royals

D’Arcy Short might be dropped and Rahul Tripathi might open with Ajinkya Rahane. Sanju Samson and Ben Stokes remain to be the stalwarts in the middle order. Heinrich Klaasen and Jofra Archer might make their debuts in the tournament. Jos Buttler played an impressive hand against Delhi, which helped them reach a respectable target.

Ben Laughlin hasn’t performed as per expectations and hence Archer might chip in with a few overs. Jaydev Unadkat and Dhawal Kulkarni will shoulder the Indian contingent of the pace attack. Shreyas Gopal and Krishnappa Gowtham played their hearts out, picked up some prized scalps and pushed the Challengers on the back-foot.

Predicted XI

Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Heinrich Klaasen, Jos Buttler (wk), Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat

Kolkata Knight Riders

The Knights are likely to again begin with Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn followed by Robin Uthappa, who found the middle of the bat, much to the delight of the Knights. The spotlight will be on Nitish Rana, who has churned out some useful runs in the league. Andre Russell’s power-hitting abilities are something any team would be wary of. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill’s position remains to be a conundrum.

The bowling lineup is heavily dependent on the spin contingent. Mitchell Johnson, Tom Curran and Andre Russell haven’t been able to produce the venomous effects that are required to rattle oppositions. Sunil Narine, who bagged 100 wickets in the IPL, has been their standout performer and needs to deliver again. Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla are the wrist-spinners

Predicted XI

Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Mitchell Johnson, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

Players to watch out for

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes has been bought for a staggering INR 12.5 crores, however, he hasn’t been able to deliver the goods as per expectations. He has found the boundaries on a few occasions, but hasn’t dished out any significant performance. Also, he has been lacklustre as a bowler. The English all-rounder has to strike form at the earliest.

Chris Lynn

Chris Lynn has got few runs, but hasn’t been at his best by any stretch of the imagination. He has struggled to time the ball and hasn’t had the impact he is renowned for. The Queenslander would definitely want to get his timing in place and take the Knights off to a blistering start against the Royals in Jaipur.