Though Rajasthan Royals started off IPL 2018 with a huge defeat, they have gracefully bounced back with consecutive victories. Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile have come back from the dead after two big losses. Both the teams will look forward to maintain their winning momentum in the fifteenth match.
Head-to- Head:
Overall: Matches – 15
Rajasthan Royals – 9
Kolkata Knight Riders – 6
Venue
Sawai Mansingh Stadium at Jaipur will be wildly happy as two titans of IPL, Rajasthan and Kolkata combat.
Average 1st innings score: 155
Average 2nd innings score: 143
Highest Total: 197/5 (19.4 Overs) by RR vs DC
Lowest Total: 92/10 (18.2 Overs) by MI vs RR
Highest Chased: 197/5 (19.4 Overs) by RR vs DC
Lowest Defended: 144/6 (20 Overs) by RR vs KKR
(The above stats only include the IPL matches played at Sawai Mansingh Stadium)
Sawai Mansingh Stadium is a batsman’s delight that also favors spinners. The lots of grass in the outfield can make fielding a disturbing job.
How do the teams stack up?
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan’s batting lineup looks destructive with Sanju Samson and Ajinjya Rahane’s sizzling shots on the top. Shreyas Gopal adds power to RR’s bowling unit, however, Unadkat is yet to prove his worth for his pay. A disturbing concern for the Rajasthan Royals’ is Ben Stoke’s form for the price they have paid for him. The playing eleven of RR is expected to be the same.
Probable XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), D Arcy Short, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, Jos Buttler (wk), Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin
Players to watch out for: Sanju Samson, Shreyas Gopal
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders have a strong squad that has all boxes ticked for a successful tournament. Uthappa and young champ Nitish Rana were seen giving their best shots in KKR’s last match against Delhi. Andre Russell looks scary with the bat and ball. Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav have been scaring the pants off batsmen. KKR’s squad is likely to remain the same.
Probable XI: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Shubman Gill , Andre Russell, Tom Curran , Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi , Kuldeep Yadav
Players to watch out for: Nitish Rana, Chris Lynn, Andre Russell