KKR vs RR Dream11 Prediction & Dotball Picks, Playing XI Updates & Fantasy Cricket Tips for Today's IPL Match

Two former IPL Champions currently fighting to keep their 2019 campaigns alive take centrestage as Kolkata Knight Riders look to arrest their losing streak at the expense of a depleted Rajasthan Royals side at the iconic Eden Gardens on Thursday.

With the departure of their star opener, Jos Buttler, Rajasthan Royals have lacked the firepower in the first six overs which isn't the case with their opponents who have relied heavily upon Andre Russell and his blistering cameos.

The previous KKR vs RR 2019 encounter was a merely a cakewalk for Dinesh Karthik and his men with Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine blazing their way to a comfortable win.

While the IPL Points Table scenario bared a different look back then, this match holds a lot for both sides looking to bounce back into winning ways with the business end of the IPL 2019 fast approaching. Here are a few tips to help you pick your KKR vs RR Dream11 team.

Squads to choose from:

Kolkata Knight Riders:

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

Rajasthan Royals:

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

Playing XI Updates:

Kolkata Knight Riders:

After a lacklustre performance on Sunday in Hyderabad, KKR might be pondering the inclusions of Kuldeep Yadav, Robin Uthappa and Aussie, Matt Kelly. Harry Gurney was adjudged Man of the Match in the first KKR vs RR 2019 encounter but hasn't been able to sustain the same form over the next few matches which could see him drop out for Matt Kelly and his blistering yorkers. Shubman Gill hasn't been in the best of forms but could be persisted with ahead of Robin Uthappa.

Possible XI: Lynn, Narine, Gill, Rana, Karthik(C&WK), Russell, Rinku, Chawla, Kelly/Gurney, Kuldeep and Prithviraj

Rajasthan Royals:

With this being the last game for the likes of Ben Stokes, RR would love to the get a win under the belt with Ajinkya Rahane also looking in sublime form at the top of the order. Steven Smith has led from the front with two fifties since taking over the reins as captain although he should be genuinely worried about the lack of wicket-taking options apart from the usual suspects, Shreyas Gopal and Jofra Archer. Ashton Turner's debut IPL hasn't gone according to plan but could be persisted with as he could play a major role in the coming days with the Englishmen leaving.

Possible XI: Rahane, Samson(WK), Smith(C), Stokes, Turner, Binny, Parag, Kulkarni, Gopal, Archer and Unadkat.

Match Details:

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, Indian Premier League 2019, Match 43

25th April 2019, 8:00 PM IST

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Head to Head:

Total Matches Played: 20

KKR: 10

RR: 9

No Result: 1

Matches in Kolkata: 7 (6 KKR 1 RR)

Last 5 Matches: 4 KKR 1 RR

Previous Encounters:

Last Match: 7th April 2019: KKR (140-2, 13.5 overs) beat RR (139-3, 20 overs) by eight wickets, Jaipur

Man of the Match: Harry Gurney (2/25)

Last Match in Kolkata: 23 May 2018: KKR (169-7, 20 overs) beat RR (144-4, 20 overs) by 25 runs

Man of the Match: Andre Russell (49 off 25)

Fantasy Tips and Suggestions:

Wicket-keeper: Sanju Samson is the preferred choice over KKR captain Dinesh Karthik and should put in a good performance on Thursday against a decent KKR bowling line-up. He wasn't able to trouble the scorers in the previous game but expect him to come good at the top of the RR batting unit.

Batsmen: Chris Lynn and Steve Smith scored fifties in the previous outings for their respective teams and hold key on Thursday. Along with them, Nitish Rana is also a viable candidate with his ability to shift gears in the middle overs well known. One of Ajinkya Rahane or Ashton Turner should suffice as the fourth and final batting option in the KKR vs RR fantasy team.

Allrounders: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Ben Stokes are three of the best all-rounders in T20 cricket and are must haves in any fantasy team regardless of the format. Although Ben Stokes has been subdued for the Royals over the past two seasons, he cannot be ignored given his unparalleled ability to make an impact in all three facets of the game.

Bowlers: Jofra Archer and Shreyas Gopal have been threatening with the ball and should be considered for the fantasy team while the likes of Jaydev Unadkat and Piyush Chawla are also in the running. Kuldeep Yadav is all set to return to the playing XI and should be backed to come back strong for KKR.

Captain: Chris Lynn is slowly but steadily coming back to his supreme best and should be backed to come up with a match-winning performance in the second KKR vs RR 2019 clash of the season while the likes of Steven Smith and Sunil Narine are also viable options for captaincy.

Fantasy Suggestion for Dotball and Dream11 #1: Sanju Samson (WK), Chris Lynn, Nitish Rana, Steven Smith, Ashton Turner, Sunil Narine, Ben Stokes, Andre Russell, Kuldeep Yadav, Jofra Archer and Jaydev Unadkat. Captain: Chris Lynn

Fantasy Suggestion for Dotball and Dream11 #2: Sanju Samson(WK), Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Steven Smith, Ashton Turner, Ben Stokes, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer and Piyush Chawla. Captain: Sunil Narine

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