The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Friday. It is the 47th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 and the second meeting for the teams this season.
Overview:
RR defeated KKR at Jaipur in their earlier meeting this season. They will play against each other again on Friday, and this time at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Skipper Gautam Gambhir's men will be keen to take revenge at their home ground.
KKR's performance this season has been disappointing. They are currently placed at seventh position with six points after winning three of the 10 matches played so far. They will take on RR after losing back-to-back games. With just six more matches left to play, they are under pressure as a defeat will wipe off their chance of making it to the last four.
RR are placed third in the table with 12 points after winning six of the nine games played so far. The 4-wicket win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the previous match will boost their confidence level. They will be keen to win as they are placed neck-to-neck with RCB, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the table.
Previous Meetings:
KKR and RR have met 11 times in the past, in which the former won five and the latter six. RR defeated KKR by 19 runs in their earlier meeting this season.
Teams News:
Kolkata Knight Riders: The main concern of the team is the inconsistency of the batsmen. Skipper Gautam Gambhir's performance in the beginning of this season was impressive but he failed in the last few matches, including a duck in the previous match. Opener Manvinder Bisla, who scored 92 from 61 balls against CSK, failed in the match against Delhi Daredevils. Other batsmen like Jacques Kallis and Eoin Morgan also failed with their bat.
On the bowling front, they have Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee, Rajat Bhatia, Sachithra Senanayake and Lakshmipathy Balaji but their performance in the last few matches has been disappointing. They took only two wickets against CSK and three wickets in the previous match. They need to take wickets at regular intervals and restrict their opponents from putting up a huge total on the board.
Rajasthan Royals: Every member of the team seems to know exactly what they are supposed to do and that has helped them immensely, disappointing even most favored teams despite the absence of big names. Sanju Samson, Shane Watson and Brad Hodge helped the team chase down RCB's total of 171 in the previous match. Skipper Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane have been doing good job in rotating the strike, enabling others, including Stuart Binny and Dishant Yagnik to play their natural game.
Shane Watson not only contributed with his bat but also took three wickets in the previous match. Their bowling line-up comprising of James Faulkner, Ajit Chandila, Kevon Cooper, Sreesanth, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson and Shaun Tait may not look as intimidating as the bowlers from other teams but they have been making good use of their resources.
Prediction:
KKR are a strong team but their main worry is their inconsistency. They will play at their home ground but RR are more consistent this season, making them the favourite to win on Friday.
SQUADS:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (c), Brendon McCullum, Brett Lee, Debabrata Das, Eoin Morgan, Iqbal Abdulla, Jacques Kallis, James Pattinson, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Manoj Tiwary, Manvinder Bisla, Shami Ahmed, Pradeep Sangwan, Rajat Bhatia, Ryan McLaren, Ryan ten Doeschate, Sachithra Senanayake, Sarabjit Ladda, Shakib Al Hassan, Sunil Narine, Yusuf Pathan
Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Ajit Chandila, Ankeet Chavan, Ashok Menaria, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Dishant Yagnik, Fidel Edwards, Harmeet Singh, James Faulkner, Kevon Cooper, Kumar Boresha, Kushal Janith Perera, Owais Shah, Pravin Tambe, Rahul Shukla, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Sachin Baby, Samuel Badree, Sanju Samson, Shane Watson, Shaun Tait, Shreevats Goswami, Siddharth Trivedi, Stuart Binny, Vikramjeet Malik
Where to Watch Live
The match will begin at 8:00 pm IST and will be telecast live on Sony Set Max channel.
