KKR vs RR: Can Rajasthan Royals overcome their bad luck and get a win under their belt before the qualifiers?

New Delhi: KKR will take on RR for the last match of the IPL 2024. Although, the result of the match remains inconclusive as far as the qualification for the playoffs is concerned. However, a win in this game will see the Royals through to the top two spots. Moreover, Rajasthan will look to get a win under their belt after going for back-to-back defeats.

On the other hand, KKR has done the unthinkable and has collected 19 points from 13 matches. The Knights have been in phenomenal form after their new mentor Gautam Gambhir took over. However, both teams will miss the services of their dynamic English opening batsmen. For Kolkata, Phil Salt has been a surprise package at the top while Rajasthan will be sweating on the absence of their old guard, Jos Buttler. The important thing is who will overcome the deficit to come out with a win?

Pitch status and head-to-head

Guwahati has traditionally been a slow pitch with sharp turns on offer for the spinners. Last time it proved difficult for the batters to get under the ball. A slow pitch will be an ideal condition for KKR who have a plethora of options in the spin department. On the other hand, Ashwin and Chahal will look to hunt for the prized KKR wickets of Narine, Russell and V. Iyer who have been the run-getters for the purple army.

On the other hand, when it comes to head-to-head match-ups both sides are tied 14 games apiece. Naturally, there is not much to differentiate in the records.

https://twitter.com/i_IM_Th0R/status/1791417290493424048

Probable XI

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR is operating in a different gear this season. The Knights have won 9 matches out of the 13 matches played and have the best NRR of +1.428. One of the key architects of KKR’s success this year has been the blistering form of Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. However, the latter has departed for England owing to national duties ahead of the T20 World Cup. In Salt’s absence, Rahmanullah Gurbaz is expected to make his first side. Gurbaz’s inclusion in the side will be a like-for-like replacement for KKR.

Probable Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

Impact Substitutes: Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma

It's raining 😂#KKRvsRR pic.twitter.com/o3jAvcaHDz

— Varda Raj Mannar (@Boggulu9) May 19, 2024

Rajasthan Royals

The Royals will be sweating about the absence of Jos Buttler who has been a vital cog for the team. In Buttler’s absence, Tom Kohler-Cadmore is expected to start his second match for the side. Apart from that no major changes are expected from the side.

Probable Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sanju Samson (wk/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact Substitutes: Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira