IPL 2023, KKR vs RR: Pitch report (Eden Gardens)
Kolkata Knight Riders will meet Rajasthan Royals in Match 56 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on May 11. Both teams have played 11 games so far, clinching five apiece. While KKR have blown hot and cold, the Royals have lost momentum after a fine start. Here we look at the pitch report.
How does the track behave?
One could see another high-scoring affair as batters have had a blast at Eden Gardens this year. The quick outfield would give batters value for their shots. Spinners can be impactful in the middle overs. Teams batting first have won three of the five games played here in IPL 2023. The average run rate here this season has been 9.72.
Here are the stadium stats
As far as the overall record is concerned, chasing teams have won 50 of the 84 IPL games held at this venue. 8.30 reads the average run rate of teams batting first here. In 2017, KKR bundled RCB out for 49 here, the lowest team score in IPL history to date. Chennai Super Kings, earlier this season, posted the highest team score here, 235/4.
KKR's numbers at this venue
The Knight Riders have had a poor run at home this year, winning just two of their five games. However, their overall tally of 47 wins in 79 IPL games here is the joint-most for a team at a particular venue. While Mumbai Indians (47 at Wankhede Stadium) stand at par with KKR in this regard, CSK (44 at MA Chidambaram) trail them.
Who are the key performers?
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has clobbered two fifties in KKR's four home games, striking at 156.12. Rinku Singh's average and strike rate in Kolkata in IPL 2023 read 98.50 and 155.11, respectively. Sunil Narine boasts 59 wickets in 50 games at this venue (ER: 6.32). Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed nine wickets in 11 IPL matches here, conceding runs at 7.84.
What can be the Playing XIs?
KKR (Probable XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (captain), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy. RR (Probable XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (captain and wicket-keeper), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Murugan Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldip Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal. Impact subs: Jason Roy (KKR) and Devdutt Padikkal (RR).
