Predicted Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Playing XI Against Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Kolkata Knight Riders’ campaign of IPL 2021 has been quite weird. They could have won two out of their last three matches, but not grabbing the right moments has made them stand at a bad position on the points table. So, when they take on Rajasthan Royals in their fifth match, they would be desperately looking for a victory. Having lost three of their four matches, the Eoin Morgan-led franchise will need two points before they move to Ahmedabad for their next leg.

Here is the predicted XI of Kolkata Knight Riders for their match against Rajasthan Royals:

Openers (Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill)

At the Wankhede Stadium, the KKR team will desperately want their openers to get a move on in this match. Their early collapse against Chennai Super Kings hurt them badly. On a wicket that is as true as the one in Mumbai, KKR would need the openers to stick around and build a stable partnership.

Sunil Narine is an alternative option, who could be tried at this position. If that happens at all, then Nitish Rana will have to go down the order and it could be a welcome change. Having said that, Kolkata has stuck to Rana even after Narine came back to the team, which indicates their trust in the Delhi southpaw. 

Middle-order (Eoin Morgan, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik)

Since last month, Eoin Morgan has played quite a few matches in India. But, he hasn’t found his timing right. In the last match as well, he was seen struggling and failed to get a move on. More than anything, KKR would want their captain to step up with some runs. Rahul Tripathi will rue the missed opportunity in the previous match when he could have got a substantial score. 

Tripathi will have to play a quick inning in this match. This brings us to Dinesh Karthik, who scored 40 runs from 24 balls in the previous match. Had he stayed for a little while longer, he might have got the job done. He is coming back to form, which is a good sign for the Kolkata team.

All-rounders (Sunil Narine and Andre Russell)

Andre Russell and Sunil Narine together have been two of KKR’s most important players. With the team stuck in the league stages, these two all-rounders have to step up. Narine, who came back into the team in the previous match, will most probably retain his place in the side. Russell’s fifty the other day was one of the highlights of the match. Knight Riders will hope that he continues his good form with the bat. 

Bowlers (Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna)

While adding Pat Cummins to the bowler’s category today, it seemed slightly absurd, considering he scored 66 runs from 34 balls in the previous match. His effort with the bat was one of the most memorable ones fans have witnessed. But, when he comes to play at the Wankhede, more than anything fans would want him to lead the bowling attack well. 

Once again, bowling in these conditions will not be easy. Batsmen will go after the pacers, which is where they have to stand up and show some sincerity. In the previous game, the pacers went for 159 runs from their 12 overs. This is the one area that Brendon McCullum’s management will have to fix quickly, especially with an entire season left ahead of them. 

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