🏏IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 56th Match 🏏

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🏏IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 56th Match 🏏

Tag & Logo Credit: Sevenstreaks

In the 56th match of the IPL 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face Rajasthan Royals today.

. This match will take place in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

With five wins and six defeats in 11 games, the Rajasthan Royals sit fifth in the points table.

They were defeated by the Sunrisers by four wickets in a nail-biting conclusion determined by the final ball. Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other side, are sixth in the rankings with five wins and six defeats in 11 games.

They’ve won their last two games against the Punjab Kings and the Sunrisers Hyderabad to keep their qualifying aspirations alive.

Jos Buttler in this tournament, he scored 392 runs in 11 matches at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 143. In his last encounter, he scored 95 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz has scored 198 runs in 8 matches with a strike rate of 142 and an average of 24. Let’s see what he does in this one.

Yashasvi Jaiswal so far, he has 477 runs in 11 matches, with an average of 43 and a strike rate of 160.

Jason Roy he has 218 runs at an average of 43 with a strike rate of 149 in 5 matches. He’ll be looking to score some runs in this one.

Ravichandran Ashwin has performed admirably in this edition, taking 14 wickets. Let’s see if he’ll increase the runs in this one.

Andre Russell so far in this competition, he has scored 208 runs and taken 7 wickets. He’ll be looking to make a brilliant effort in this one.

Yuzvendra Chahal Chahal has 17 wickets in 11 matches this season, including four in his most recent outing.

Varun Chakravarthy so far in this competition, he has taken 17 wickets. He’ll be looking to pick up some more in this one.

Probable playing XI for KKR

Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jason Roy

Probable playing XI for RR

Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(c)(wk), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Murugan Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldip Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy

Impact players for KKR vs RR

KKR Impact sub-options: Mandeep Singh, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan.

RR Impact sub-options: Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Adam Zampa, Akash Vasisht

Pitch conditions for the KKR vs RR match ---In T20 cricket, the pitch at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens provides a batting-friendly surface. The average first innings score in this stadium is 174, so fans might expect a high-scoring match on Thursday.
Toss Factor in KKR vs RR match---Either team may benefit from batting early and setting a difficult target for the other.
Venue stats --Total matches – 12 --Matches won batting first – 5 , Matches won bowling first – 7

Average 1st Inns scores – 155

Average 2nd Inns scores – 137

Highest total recorded – 201/5

Lowest total recorded – 70/10
KKR vs RR Head-to-headPlayed: 27RR won: 12,

KKR won: 14

Draw: 1

Two teams having similar points on the table are placed a spot apart due to an NRR difference – something that could decide their fate this season. While Rajasthan will enter this contest on the back of another loss at the hands of SunRisers Hyderabad in a last-ball thriller, hosts KKR will like to carry on the winning momentum as the playoffs approach.

Man of the tournament for many and many reasons, Rinku Singh will again hog the limelight when two former champions collide for the place in the knockouts. The left-handed batter, alongside dangerous Andre Russell, aka, Dre Russ, helped Kolkata beat Punjab Kings by five wickets on the last ball the other night. With captain Nitish Rana returning to form and also with openers promising to deliver, at least in the home conditions, their batting unit is an evening away from making headlines.

In the bowling department, KKR is blessed to have three quality spinners in Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy and veteran Sunil Narine – all of whom have troubled each opposition; however, their only concern has been an inexperienced pace-bowling duo of Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora. Besides, their forever x-factor Andre Russell will remain in the scheme of things, and going by his latest exploits, the hard-hitting Windies batter will fancy his chances against the RR spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Ashwin.

On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals - after winning a series of matches earlier, went down in successive games only to see them slide away from the playoffs race. With three games remaining, they need to win all of them to stay alive for the top-four finish – and after how they suffered their latest setback against SRH, seeking a win tonight will take some doing.

Result Prediction –

Even though RR is coming on the back of successive loses, they are likely to overcome the KKR challenge at Eden Gardens.

But, as we knew, T20 is quite unpredictable, esp in this season, anything may happen when the last over last ball bowled!

KKR vs RR , a Thrilling Encounter Cricket enthusiasts eagerly await this face-off between the rejuvenated Kolkata Knight Riders and the faltering Rajasthan Royals.

Both teams are expected to score over 170 runs in what is anticipated to be a nail-biting contest. The momentum is likely to shift between the two sides, with each team appearing dominant at various points in the game.

Thanks for the tag😊

KKR🥳

Top Batsmen to Watch In the upcoming match, our top batting selections for Kolkata Knight Riders include Jason Roy, Nitish Rana, and Rinku Singh. Singh showcased his prowess in the previous game, scoring an unbeaten 21 off just 10 balls and accumulating 337 runs in the tournament thus far. Rana, with a T20 career-best of 107, boasts an impressive 4188 runs overall.

For Rajasthan Royals, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, and Sanju Samson are the chosen batsmen. Prior to this season, Jaiswal’s highest IPL score was 258; however, he has already amassed 477 runs this year. Samson has been a consistent performer, contributing over 300 runs in the ongoing campaign.

Top Bowlers to Look Out For Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling lineup features Harshit Rana, Andre Russell, and Varun Chakravarthy as our top picks. Russell demonstrated his skill with a 3-22 at the same venue earlier in the season. Rana, a young fast bowler, dismissed Prabhsimran Singh and Bhanuka Rajapaksa in their recent match.

For Rajasthan Royals, cricket experts recommend Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Trent Boult. Chahal was the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2022, and only three players have outperformed him this season. Boult is expected to generate significant swing early in the match, owing to the current conditions.

Now tasked with putting their campaign back on track, it wouldn't be an easy job for RR at the Eden Gardens, where the home side finally seemed to have cracked the winning formula after a tough initiation. A part of it was down to the slightly dry pitch KKR played on against PBKS, which brought their spinners more into play without compromising too much on the batting.

The same pitch, where spinners picked 8/142 as compared to 3/211 by seamers, will be used for this game too and is likely to play to KKR's strengths again. RR, though, arrive with two of India's best spinners in their ranks and a batting line-up that wouldn't mind the bounce on offer either.

As both teams play their third-last league game of the season, one is set to break away from the mid-table 10-pointer traffic jam. Who will be that, though, is hard to guess, and that's perhaps one question that even Rinku Singh might not have an answer to yet.

Did you know?

- Yuzvendra Chahal one away from becoming the leading-wicket taker in IPL history.

- Jason Roy vs Trent Boult in T20s: 25 balls, 34 runs, 2 dismissals

- Four of Andre Russell's eight dismissals this season have come against right arm leg-spin

What they said

"KKR are a good side. Andre Russell is one of the most devastating batters in T20s. He has been out a few times, but bowling to him is difficult. Also, one should not forget Rinku Singh" - Trent Boult on how he looks at KKR

"He's the best finisher in the world. I asked him, 'What else canI do in the middle?' He said, 'Don't think much, just wait for the ball.'" - Rinku Singh on his interaction with MS Dhoni