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Rajasthan Royals (RR) take on two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 18 of IPL 2021 on Saturday, April 24, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The two sides have faced each other 23 times in previous editions of the tournament. KKR emerged victorious 12 times while RR won 10 matches whereas one game ended with no result.
Rajasthan Royals head into this contest on the back of a disappointing 10-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore. They currently occupy the last position in the points table with one win in four outings. RR desperately need a win to get their IPL 2021 campaign back on track.
The Knight Riders have the same points as the Royals, but they hold sixth place because of their superior net run rate. They suffered a narrow defeat to CSK in the last game and will be hoping for a much-improved performance against a struggling RR side.
In anticipation of this mouth-watering contest, we take a look at the top 5 players who could make a difference in this game.
#1 Sanju Samson
RR skipper Sanju Samson started the season with a top innings of 119 runs from 63 balls against the Punjab Kings but has seen a dip in form since then. Among current RR players, Samson (233 runs) has scored the most runs for the team against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
With his side in desperate need of a win, Samson is expected to lead from the front and deliver a special innings.
#2 Sunil Narine
KKR's Narine had a decent first game against CSK, ending with figures of 1/34. He has a good track record against RR with 136 runs and 10 wickets to his name.
Narine is usually very accurate with his line and length and doesn't allow batsmen to free their arms. The West Indies player could be a potential threat to an inexperienced RR middle order in the upcoming IPL 2021 match.
#3 Dinesh Karthik
Karthik is the senior-most batsman in the KKR batting order. He is also the leading run-scorer for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Rajasthan Royals with 233 runs from 6 innings at an impressive strike rate of 159.59.
Karthik had a poor outing last season and will be hoping for a much better performance in IPL 2021.
#4 Rahul Tewatia
RR's Tewatia has had an ordinary start to the IPL 2021 season with 81 runs and just 1 wicket from 4 matches. When Rajasthan battled Kolkata the last time in the IPL, Rahul Tewatia picked up a crucial three-wicket haul.
He will be the key to RR's success in their upcoming IPL 2021 fixture.
#5 Andre Russell
With the ball coming nicely onto the bat at the Wankhede, KKR's Russell will be looking to make the most of the conditions and score runs for his side. He showed glimpses of his form in the previous game against CSK.
Russell has aggregated 205 runs while donning the KKR jersey against RR and will be looking to add a few more runs to his tally.
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