IPL 2021, KKR vs RR: Sanju Samson elects to field
Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals are facing each other in the 54th match of 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium is hosting the evening game of Thursday's double-header. KKR would want to win the match with a substantial Net Run Rate in order to qualify for the playoffs. Sanju Samson has won the toss and elected to field first.
Head-to-head: KKR 12-11 RR
Kolkata have fared slightly better than Rajasthan in the IPL head-to-head meetings. In 23 matches, KKR have won 12 with a win percentage of 52.17. Meanwhile, RR have managed to win 11 matches with a win percentage of 47.83. RR defeated KKR in the last encounter, earlier this season. Notably, KKR have won six of the eight matches against RR since IPL 2018.
Key details about the match
The Shrajah Cricket Stadium is hosting the match. Unlike the last season, the wicket has been on the slower side. The batters have had to work for runs. Notably, RR managed only 90/9 in their last fixture on this venue. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
Recap: What happened in the last encounter?
RR overcame KKR in the last encounter between the two sides. The Royals restricted KKR to 133/9 after electing to field. Rahul Tripathi emerged as KKR's top-scorer (36), while Chris Morris took four wickets for RR. Sanju Samson's unbeaten 42 powered RR to a six-wicket win. David Miller also returned unbeaten on 24 in the run-chase.
Here are the two teams
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Liam Livingstone, Sanju Samson (captain and wicket-keeper), Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (captain), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy
RR bring in Livingstone, Morris, Rawat, and Unadkat
Rajasthan have made a total of four changes. Liam Livingstone, Chris Morris, Anuj Rawat, and Jaydev Unadkat have been roped in for the match. Meanwhile, Lockie Ferguson has rejoined the KKR XI in place of Tim Southee. The NZ pacer missed the last few matches.
