ABOUT THE MATCH:
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 Match 54 has a blockbuster clash coming our way as Kolkata Knight Riders’ playoff hopefuls take on Rajasthan Royals on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The match would telecasted live from 7:30pm onwards.
MATCH PREVIEW:
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS:
1.KKR played the best game it could possibly have dreamed of. There is no question that on that day, something clicked for KKR, but if we look a little closer, we can still find some serious team balance issues.
2. Narine may have scored runs against DC, but it’s hard to really rely on him for runs after his poor form this season. The drumming is very thin with Gill, Rana, Tripathi, Karthik, and Morgan as the actual drums.
3. Nitsih Rana has a good inning to his credit, Rahul Tripathi has looked out of his depth in recent matches, and Dinesh Karthik has also struggled.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI:
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:
1. As a team, now Rajasthan Royals is struggling very hard. However, despite the change in the squad, they are most probably mix up their batting line up. RR can swap Ben Stokes and Robin Uthappa.
2. In the bowling unit, Jofra Archer is in his best form but the other bowlers have not performed that well.
3. Now, it is do or die situation for Rajasthan Royals. Either they have to perform their best or prepare for an early exit from the league.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI:
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.
PITCH REPORT:
As the last few games at this venue in IPL 2020 have seen a few reasonably high-scoring encounters, the pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium should be a decent one to bat on.
As has been the case this season at all the venues in the tournament, there is some swing on offer early on for the pacers, while spinners should have a greater say in Dubai’s scheme of things.
For slow bowlers, there is likely to be a lot of turnover on offer. With one side of the ground being bigger than the other, in the middle overs, it should be an intriguing battle between the batsmen and the spinners. Wickets in hand will be crucial for the batting side, as teams have opted for a more prolific second half to see out the powerplay process.
Both teams will look to chase after winning the toss, which has become the new norm in IPL 2020, with dew playing a role in the evening games. At this venue, 160-170 should be a competitive number.
WEATHER CONDITION:
The average maximum daytime temperature for the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the coming week will be about 32 ° C, with a high of 33 ° C for the week forecast on Saturday 31st afternoon. The minimum temperature average will be 23 ° C, falling to its lowest at 21 ° C on the morning of Monday 2nd. The week will stay overwhelmingly dry. The winds are expected to be mild overall.
PROBABLE TOP PERFORMERS:
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS:
1. Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine has had his travails with the ball in hand. However, the West Indies tweaker made his comeback and is currently a part of KKR’s plans. With the bat, the left-hander notched a half-century against the Capitals and he is in a good rhythm. Last time around against CSK, he was introduced into the attack after the 10th over and he helped his team win the game from a stage of hopelessness.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS:
1. Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes had begun earlier, showing his class, but he could not hold on and make them count. The England cricketer, however, has made amends since 2017 to score his second IPL tonne.
He was sent again for the Royals to open the innings, and he came into his own. He not only scored a lot, but remained undefeated until the very end as well. It is again possible to expect the southpaw to weave magic.
HEAD TO HEAD:
1. Total Played– 21.
2. KKR Won– 11.
3. RR Won– 10.
4. No Result– 0.
5. Tie– 0.
BROADCAST DETAILS:
1. Tv – Star Sports Network.
2. Live Streaming – Disney+ Hotstar.
3. Match Timings – 1st October 2020 at 07:30 PM IST (06:00 PM local time) (02:00 PM UTC)
PROBABLE WINNING TEAM:
Due to the depth, consistency, and variety of their line-up across facets, Kolkata Knight Riders, who beat the Royals comprehensively earlier in the season, will begin as favourites. Undoubtedly, Rajasthan Royals play with plenty of heart; however, it could fall flat against the Knight Riders’ force. Moreover, at IPL 2020 in Dubai, the inaugural IPL champions did not have the best of times.
