IPL 2024: Table-toppers RR take on second-placed KKR
Match 31 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) will see Kolkata Knight Riders host Rajasthan Royals (RR). An enticing contest is on the cards as both these teams have played some quality cricket this season. While RR are the table-toppers with five triumphs in six outings, KKR hold the second place, having clinched four of their five matches. Here is the match preview.
Pitch report and match details
Kolkata's Eden Gardens will host this game on April 16. The strip is good for batting and one can expect a high-scoring fixture. Spinners will get some assistance as the game proceeds. KKR comfortably chased down 162 against LSG here on April 14. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on JioCinema (7:30pm IST).
A look at the head-to-head record
Both teams have faced each other on 28 occasions in the IPL (including two Super-Over fixtures). KKR have won on 14 occasions, with RR winning on 13 instances (NR: 1). Notably, RR won the last encounter between the two. The head-to-head record between the two teams is 6-3 in KKR's favor at the Eden Gardens.
Battle between two powerhouses
Barring the loss against CSK, KKR have been sensational this season. They have performed brilliantly as a unit. Sunil Narine's big hitting at the top has been the key to their success. Meanwhile, RR have been arguably the most balanced unit in this competition so far. However, they missed the services of veterans Jos Buttler and Ravichandran Ashwin in their last fixture.
Here are the probable XIs:
KKR (Probable XI): Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy. Impact sub: Rinku Singh. RR (Probable XI): Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal. Impact sub: Yashasvi Jaiswal.
A look at the key performers
Narine's batting strike rate and economy this season read 183.52 and 6.75, respectively. Russell has been striking at a sensational 212.96 in IPL 2024. Both Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson have clobbered over 260 runs this season at a strike rate of 150-plus. Boult's tally of 46 powerplay wickets in the IPL is the most for any bowler since 2020.
