IPL 2019, KKR vs RR: Venue stats, head-to-head record, key players and predicted XI

Kolkata Knight Riders are set to host the Rajasthan Royals in the 43rd fixture of the Indian Premier League 2019 on Thursday at the Eden Gardens. The hosts will be desperate to get back to winning ways after losing five games on the trot, while the Royals also have to win this game if they want to keep their hopes of making it to the playoffs alive.

This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season, with Kolkata Knight Riders registering a comprehensive 8-wicket victory in the earlier encounter in Jaipur.

KKR are currently struggling to find their feet after a decent start to their IPL campaign. Having lost five consecutive league fixtures, the hosts are finding it difficult to get any kind of momentum going.

Dinesh Karthik needs to take up the responsibility and lead his team from the front in these times of adversity. With just four wins in their 10 outings, the Knight Riders are precariously placed at the sixth position in the points table.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals have played some decent cricket so far in this edition of the IPL, but unfortunately for them the results have not gone their way. After appointing Steven Smith as their captain, the Royals looked to be on the mend with a win against MI. However, their defeat against DC showed their inability to defend runs under pressure.

The visitors are languishing at the second last spot in the points table with only three victories in their 10 league fixtures. They would be looking to avenge their last home defeat against the Knight Riders in the match tomorrow.

Match details

Date: Thursday, April 25, 2019

Time: 08:00 PM IST

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

League: Indian Premier League

Live Telecast: Star Network

Online Streaming: Hotstar

Venue Stats (IPL)

Total matches: 73

Matches won batting first: 28

Matches won bowling first: 45

Average 1st Inns score: 157

Average 2nd Inns score: 144

Highest total recorded: 218/4 (20 Ov) by KKR vs KXIP

Lowest total recorded: 49/10 (9.4 Ov) by RCB vs KKR

Highest score chased: 204/2 (18.2 Ov) by KXIP vs KKR

Lowest score defended: 114/4 (20 Ov) by CSK vs KKR

Head-to-head record

Total – 20

KKR - 10

RR - 9

N/R - 1

Team news

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kuldeep Yadav is likely to replace KC Cariappa in the starting lineup.

Rajasthan Royals

RR are likely to play the same XI that featured against DC.

Squads

Kolkata Knight Riders

Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (C), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney, Rinku Singh, Nikhil Naik, Joe Denly, Shrikant Mundhe, Carlos Brathwaite, Sandeep Warrier, Lockie Ferguson, Yarra Prithviraj, KC Cariappa, Matthew Kelly

Rajasthan Royals:

Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith (C), Dhawal Kulkarni, Aryaman Birla, Rahul Tripathi, Krishnappa Gowtham, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, Shashank Singh, Mahipal Lomror, S Midhun, Jos Buttler, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Prashant Chopra, Liam Livingstone, Manan Vohra, Shubham Ranjane, Ashton Turner, Varun Aaron, Oshane Thomas, Ish Sodhi.

Key players

Kolkata Knight Riders

- Chris Lynn

- Sunil Narine

- Andre Russell

Rajasthan Royals

- Ajinkya Rahane

- Steve Smith

- Shreyas Gopal

Probable playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders

Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney

Rajasthan Royals

Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson (wk), Steven Smith (c), Ashton Turner, Ben Stokes, Riyan Parag, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on 2019 orange cap, points table, schedule, news, live scores, purple cap and fantasy tips.