The Super Sunday will conclude with an intense match as Kolkata Knight Riders will take on the Rajasthan Royals.
It’s a must-win game for both teams as the loser will be eliminated from the race going into the playoffs. The equation is relatively easier for Rajasthan Royals, however, they’ll still have to go through Kolkata Knight Riders to reach 14 points.
KKR, on the other hand, will obviously have to win the game first. Then they’ll have to pray that Kings XI Punjab loses their match against Chennai Super Kings earlier in the afternoon. They would then want Sunrisers Hyderabad to lose their last match against the Mumbai Indians.
KKR is coming off a disappointing loss against CSK. RR, however, is coming off a phenomenal victory over KXIP.
Rajasthan Royals
Royals revived a lot of hopes of them making the playoffs in their last two matches. Their bowling looked haphazard as the mighty MI lineup was able to put a huge score of 195 onboard. While chasing, the Royals lost two early wickets on opener Robin Uthappa and skipper Steve Smith.
They were reduced to out of form Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson who slowly started building up the score. That’s when they shock the world as both of them constructed a 152 run partnership to take RR home. Stokes scored a phenomenal 107 not out off 60 balls which included 14 fours and 3 sixes. Samson scored an important 54 off 31 balls.
They put up a phenomenal performance against KXIP as well. KXIP put up a great score of 185 runs, however, RR chased it with relative ease. Stokes scored a great fifty which completely shifted the momentum. They’ll have to keep their bowling tight though.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR actually put up a decent performance in their last match, however, small mistakes cost them the match. Batting has been a key issue for KKR and it’s high time they address that. The top-order has failed to deliver consistently. Nitish Rana who scored a match-winning inning the match before that failed. Rahul Tripathi who showed potential earlier on is struggling. Dinesh Karthik has been struggling as well. Skipper Eoin Morgan tries his best but fails to get any type of support from others. They’ll have to consider promoting Morgan probably at number 4.
As per bowling is concerned, it has been good with Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, and Varun Chakravarthy. However, batsmen will have to give them something formidable to defend.
Fantasy XI team
BEN STOKES (10) (C) – Stokes scored a great 107 not out off just 60 balls against the mighty MI lineup. He also scored a fifty and took 2 wickets against KXIP. He’ll be our captain.
JOFRA ARCHER (10) (VC) – Archer looked in a great rhythm and is among the leading wicket-takers of the season. He’ll be our vice-captain.
SANJU SAMSON (9) – Samson has finally found form after looking haphazard. He’ll be an important aspect.
SHUBMAN GILL (9.5) – Gill has been in decent form but he certainly has the potential to score big.
JOS BUTTLER (9) – Buttler has been looking good keeping in mind his new role to handle the middle order.
STEVE SMITH (9) – Skipper Steve Smith has been fairly consistent. He can turn the tables anytime he goes to bat!
ROBIN UTHAPPA (8.5) – Uthappa has been doing his job of providing a brisk start fairly efficiently.
VARUN CHAKRAVARTHY (8.5) – He took an impressive 5-wicket hall against DC.
PAT CUMMINS (8.5) – Cummins has looked good in his last few matches.
LOCKIE FERGUSON (8.5) – Ferguson is known for picking up wickets in the middle overs. His raw pace is very effective in UAE pitches.
PREDICTION
Royals have gained momentum at the right time. With Ben Stokes and Sanju Smason back in form, they seem invincible. Even other batsmen like Robin Uthappa, Steve Smith, and Jos Buttler are doing their jobs. Their bowling has been a concern but Jofra Archer is doing great as a lead. KKR, on the other hand, has potential but clearly lacks confidence and momentum. Rajasthan Royals will therefore defeat the Kolkata Knight Riders.
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