IPL 2020: Match 54, KKR vs RR- KKR Predicted Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are currently in dire straits as far as the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is concerned. Having lost their last two matches, their fate isn’t in their own hands anymore. Their last league game is against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday, November 1 at the Dubai International Stadium.

A win doesn’t guarantee the Knight Riders a berth in the playoffs. If Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) beat the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on the same day, then KKR will have to beat RR by a given margin to make their way into the top four.

The net run rate of -0.467 won’t make it any easier for them either. As far as their upcoming game is concerned, KKR can take confidence from the fact that they beat Steve Smith and Co last time around. It remains to be seen if the Knights make any changes to their eleven.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Kolkata Knight Riders for KKR vs RR game: 

Openers (Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana)

The Knights are unlikely to make any changes to their opening combination. Shubman Gill is currently their leading run-scorer with 404 runs at an average of 33.66. However, he needs to work on his strike-rate of 115.75 as he hasn’t been able to press the accelerator in the first six overs.

Nitish Rana would be high on confidence after his highest IPL score of 87 against the Super Kings. He played the aerial shots to good effect and showed what he is capable of.

The two fifties he scored in his last three games would give him confidence. The Knights would hope for both of them to fire.

Middle-order (Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Eoin Morgan (C), Rinku Singh)

In the middle-order, Eoin Morgan has looked the most assured. Even next time around, he has to be on top of his game. The southpaw has 350 runs at an average and strike-rate of 35 and 131.08 respectively.

Morgan is yet to score a fifty but has made sure that he chips in with useful scores. Dinesh Karthik has looked good in patches, but he has looked far from his very best. In the previous game, he played a decent cameo and that should keep him in good stead.

Rahul Tripathi, after his initial knocks, including the 81 against CSK, hasn’t had a score of substance. The left-handed Rinku Singh will also have his role to play.

All-rounder (Sunil Narine)

Sunil Narine hasn’t been at his best by any stretch of the imagination. Yet he remains as one of the vital cogs in their setup with both bat and ball. With the ball in hand, the tweaker has five wickets from nine matches at an economy of 7.79.

The veteran needs to make more breakthroughs for sure. With the bat, barring the 64 he scored against Punjab, he hasn’t been on his mark either. The Knights would want their star all-rounder to fire.

There’s no update on Andre Russell, the MVP of IPL 2019. If the Jamaican returns for the ever-so crucial encounter, it will be interesting to see who goes out.

Bowlers (Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy)

In the bowling department, Varun Chakravarthy remains to be the standout bowler for the Knights. The tweaker has as many as 15 wickets and he’s also their most frugal bowler with an economy rate of seven.

Pat Cummins got a couple of wickets in the last game and he needs to be better, to say the least. Lockie Ferguson had a horrible day with the ball as Ravindra Jadeja took him to the cleaners the other day.

He still remains an important member for the Knights though courtesy his ability to rattle the woodworks. Kamlesh Nagarkoti has four wickets but needs to be a bit more consistent.