In the 54th match of the VIVO IPL 2021, Kolkata Knight Riders will be playing Rajasthan Royals on Thursday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium at 7:30 PM IST.
Kolkata Knight Riders will be heading into this do-or-die fixture with the immense pressure of qualifying for the IPL 2021 playoffs. In their previous match, KKR beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets. In the second phase, the Knight Riders have emerged as a dominant side. After an underwhelming phase 1 of the edition, the SRK-owned franchise bounced back in the second phase and occupied the fourth spot. Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Venkatesh Iyer have been in tremendous form, the two-time IPL winners will count on these players to excel in the upcoming crucial game. Kolkata has acquired the fourth spot with 12 points.
Following their eight-wicket defeat against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, Rajasthan Royals have been eliminated from the playoffs qualifying race. The Rajasthan-based franchise has nothing to lose in their final league game but to finish a forgettable season on a higher note. The new opening pair has been churning out some quick runs in the powerplay that builds the foundation for a big total on the board. In the absence of their prime pacer, Jofra Archer, the youngster Chetan Sakariya and Mustafizur Rahaman have fared well as a bowling unit. Rajasthan has occupied the seventh position with 10 points.
Head-to-Head:
KKR and RR have played against each other on 24 occasions, the former came out victorious on 12 instances while the latter won 11 games.
In their last outing, Rajasthan won the fixture by six wickets in the first phase of IPL 2021.
Team News:
Kolkata Knight Riders: KKR will be missing out on the services of their prime all-rounder Andre Russell.
Rajasthan Royals: Apart from the players, who chose not to participate in phase 1, RR has no issues regarding injuries.
TV and LIVE streaming details:
OTT- Disney+ Hotstar
Sponsors:
Kolkata Knight Riders – The Principal sponsor of KKR is MPL.
Rajasthan Royals – The Principal sponsors of RR are Reliance Jio, KEI Wires & Cables, BKT, Red Bull, and Expo 2020 Dubai.