Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders would strive for a handsome win over struggling Rajasthan Royals in their last round-robin game to stay ahead in the IPL play-offs race in Sharjah on Thursday (October 7). With 12 points from 13 matches, KKR are currently sitting at the fourth position in the pecking order, just ahead of defending champions Mumbai Indians on net run-rate.
MI, too, have 12 points from 13 games and still have a match to play against bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday (October 8). If both KKR and MI win their last matches, then it will boil down to net run rate and that’s where the Eoin Morgan-led side (0.294) would have an edge as it currently enjoys a positive run rate compared to the Mumbai outfit (-0.048).
KKR had a mixed bag in the second leg of the tournament so far, winning four and losing two games. While KKR started the second phase with back-to-back wins over Royal Challengers Bangalore and MI before suffering a defeat to Chennai Super Kings, they came back to beat table toppers Delhi Capitals.
A defeat against Punjab Kings followed before they outplayed SRH by six wickets to keep their nose ahead in the race for the final play-offs spot. KKR have been impressive in the second half and even their two defeats were narrow, where they lost in the last over.
In the batting department, Venkatesh Iyer has been the star performer in the second leg for KKR, while Rahul Tripathi too has been impressive this season. Young Shubman Gill scored a fine half-century in KKR’s last match, which holds good for the team. Nitish Rana, up in the batting order, has also done well but the form of skipper Morgan remains a cause for concern.
RR are out of the race, languishing at the seventh spot in the eight-team standings with 10 points from 13 games. And come Thursday, RR would look to dent KKR’s hopes and end their campaign on a positive note.
Teams (from):
Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (captain), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain), Liam Livingstone, Evin Lewis, David Miller, Chris Morris, Oshane Thomas, Mustafizur Rahaman, Tabraiz Shamsi, Glenn Phillips, Chetan Sakariya, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Akash Singh, Anuj Rawat, KC Cariappa, Yashashvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Kuldip Yadav, Mahipal Lomror.
What time does the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals begin?
The IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals is scheduled to start at 07:30 pm. The toss will take place at 07:00 pm.
Where is the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals taking place?
The IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will be played in Sharjah.
Which TV channel will broadcast the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals?
The IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will broadcast LIVE on Star Sports 1/HD.
Where can I catch the live streaming of the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals?
The live streaming of the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will be available on the Hotstar app and website. You can also catch the live commentary/scorecard and latest updates of the match here at zeenews.india.com.
