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Match 54 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 has a blockbuster clash coming our way as playoff hopefuls Kolkata Knight Riders take on Rajasthan Royals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
It has been a topsy-turvy campaign for both sides in IPL 2020 so far, but KKR will be slightly disappointed with where they stand in this season's competition at the moment.
Despite having a star-studded squad including two former IPL MVPs in Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, KKR have largely underwhelmed, as they have only six wins to show for their efforts so far.
A change in captaincy also hasn't changed their fortunes, as none of their batsmen have been able to put their foot down and sustain their form during the course of the tournament. With an inferior NRR and a bowling attack that lacks confidence, KKR are down for the count although they still have a chance of going through to the IPL 2020 playoffs.
Their opponents, Rajasthan Royals, have found their mojo at the most opportune time, with Ben Stokes leading from the front. The all-rounder has led RR to two massive wins against MI and KXIP; but like KKR, the Royals also have a negative NRR, which could have an impact in the end.
RR also have a few concerns in their bowling attack that has relied too heavily upon Archer, whose sheer pace and accuracy have been too hot to handle. They will need him to fire once again, as a potential playoff spot is hanging in the balance in this IPL game.
The reverse fixture between the two teams in IPL 2020 saw KKR beat RR by a huge margin; although, by the look of things, the Rajasthan Royals are the clear favourites heading into this game.
With this game being a do-or-die one for either side, the stakes could not have been much higher for both teams, as this happens to be their last league games in IPL 2020 as well. One could expect another high-scoring encounter in Dubai, as either side is fighting hard to stay alive in IPL 2020.
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Squads to choose from:
Kolkata Knight Riders
Dinesh Karthik (C), Shivam Mavi, Tom Banton, Sandeep Warrier, Kuldeep Yadav, Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Nikhil Naik, Manimaran Siddharth, Andre Russell, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Shubman Gill, Nitesh Rana, Siddhesh Lad, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Chris Green and Rahul Tripathi.
Rajasthan Royals
Steve Smith (C), David Miller, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Robin Uthappa, Shashank Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ben Stokes, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Tom Curran, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Akash Singh, Andrew Tye, Aniruddha Joshi, Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Kartik Tyagi, Mayank Markande, Oshane Thomas, Rahul Tewatia, Varun Aaron.
Check IPL Teams and Squads.
Predicted Playing-11
Kolkata Knight Riders
Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi/Rinku Singh, Andre Russell/Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy and Pat Cummins.
Rajasthan Royals
Ben Stokes, Robin Uthappa, Steve Smith (C), Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler (WK), Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Varun Aaron/Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Kartik Tyagi and Shreyas Gopal.
Match Details
Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 54
Date: 1st November 2020, at 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
Check IPL 2020 Schedule.
Pitch Report
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium should be a good one to bat on, as the last few games at this venue in IPL 2020 have saw a few relatively high-scoring encounters.
As has been the case at all the venues in the competition this season, there is some swing on offer for the pacers early on although spinners should have a bigger say in the scheme of things in Dubai.
There is likely to be a lot of turn on offer for the slow bowlers. With one side of the ground being bigger than the other, it should be an intriguing battle between the batsmen and the spinners in the middle overs. Wickets in hand will be key for the batting side, as teams have opted to see out the powerplay phase for a more prolific second half.
With dew playing a role in the evening games, both teams could look to chase after winning the toss, which has been the new norm in IPL 2020. 160-170 should be a competitive total at this venue.
KKR vs RR IPL Dream11 Fantasy Suggestions
Fantasy Suggestion #1: Jos Buttler, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Eoin Morgan, Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Sunil Narine, Jofra Archer, Varun Chakravarthy, Pat Cummins and Shreyas Gopal.
Captain: Dinesh Karthik. Vice-Captain: Ben Stokes.
Fantasy Suggestion #2: Jos Buttler, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Eoin Morgan, Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Andre Russell, Jofra Archer, Varun Chakravarthy, Pat Cummins and Kartik Tyagi.
Captain: Ben Stokes. Vice-Captain: Shubman Gill.
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