Kolkata and Rajasthan will lock horns at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 2. This will be the second time both teams will be playing each other. In their last meeting, the Men In Pink and Blue won by seven runs in a high-scoring game. Both teams have had a contrasting season so far. The 2008 winners have won six out of nine games while the Men In Purple and Gold have won only three out of nine.
Team News
Kolkata:Â They started well in the first three games but since then, their fortunes have gone downhill. After winning three out of the first four games, they have lost five games in a row. Because of this, the Shreyas Iyer-led side now needs to win every game in the last five remaining matches. They can make a few changes in the team. Aaron Finch is struggling while the ball is swinging. He can make way for Pratham Singh who is also a top-order batter. Andre Russell, who has been woefully out of form with the bat, can be replaced by Chamika Karunaratne or Mohammad Nabi.
Key Players:Â
Shreyas Iyer:Â The skipper is the highest run-getter for the team with 290 runs. In the last game against Rajasthan, he scored 85 while his side was chasing 218. The team will be expecting another good innings from him.
Umesh Yadav: Umesh Yadav has run out of form in the last few games after starting the tournament with a bang. However, he has still managed to give important breakthroughs to the team. KKR will hope that Yadav returns to form and deliver a match winning performance.
Probable XI:Â Pratham Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, B Indrajith (wk), Rinku Singh, Chamika Karunaratne/Mohammad Nabi, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana
Team News
Rajasthan:Â The team is coming off from a loss against Mumbai. However, there chance of qualifying for the playoffs haven’t been impacted much as they have 12 points in their kitty and need only four more to cement their place in the top four. Their bowing is their strong suit but it doesn’t mean that their batters are a muck. Batters such as Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, and Shimron Hetmyer are match winners on their day. However, barring Butter, others have been inconsistent.
Key Players:Â
Jos Buttler:Â The right-hander has made quite a few records while amassing 566 runs in nine games. He has become the only overseas player to score three hundreds in a season. In the last game against Kolkata, he scored an unbeaten hundred. With the kind of form he is in, he will be keen to play another match winning knock.
Yuzvendra Chahal:Â The leggie is the highest wicket taker of the tournament with 19 wickets. In the last game against Kolkata, he took a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul. In the upcoming game, he could be the one to watch out for.
Probable XI:Â Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Daryl Mitchell, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen
Match Details
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Time:Â 07:30 PM IST
Live Telecast:Â Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report: The last game at the venue between Delhi and Kolkata saw spinners getting help from the wicket. With the temperatures increasing, the wickets are getting drier, making it difficult for the batters to play their shots. Expect a low-scoring game, where spinners might dominate.
