Mumbai: Both Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will look to get their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 campaign back on track when they meet at the Wankhede Stadium here on Saturday.While Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata is on a three-game losing streak, Rajasthan, captained by Sanju Samson, comes into the match on the back of two successive defeats. Both teams find themselves in the bottom half of the points table with just a solitary win in four games.
The rise of Pat Cummins as a complete all-rounder will provide a big boost for KKR, whose middle-order has disappointed in all but one game. So, the trio of Morgan, Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell will be desperate to click as a unit.
The top-three of Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi was quiet in the last two matches and would be keen to come good against Rajasthan. On a batting paradise in Mumbai, the Kolkata bowlers were hit to all parts by Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
With a point to prove, the KKR attack, led by speedster Cummins and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, would hope to come up with an improved bowling effort.
Kolkata’s opponent Rajasthan has been inconsistent in both departments and is completely low on confidence following its 10-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Nothing went right against Bangalore on Thursday, so RR would have gone back to the drawing board to address its issues. The onus will once again be on Samson, Jos Buttler, Shivam Dube and David Miller to produce the goods with the bat.
Rahul Tewatia and Chris Morris have shown that they are capable of hitting big at the death. The bowling department had a bad day at the office against RCB and will look to bounce back quickly. Already a part of the chasing pack, both sides are expected to go all out for a win.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday announced that fast bowler Jofra Archer would play no part in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), handing a blow to his franchise Rajasthan. The 26-year-old returned to bowling with full intensity this week and the ECB as well as Sussex medical teams will continue to monitor his progress. Archer was given the all-clear by his consultant to resume training last week as his right hand continues to heal following his operation on March 29.