Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2021, Today Match Prediction 07 October 2021

kkr vs rr Match Prediction & Analysis

We are into the most interesting phase of the tournament where the last round of league games decides the playoff standing. In this context, Kolkata Knight Riders play a must-win game against Rajasthan Royals. KKR comes into this game after an important win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad while Rajasthan Royals ended all hopes of making it to the next round going down against the Mumbai Indians. 

The Rajasthan Royals have had a poor run since the tournament resumed in UAE and have won only once in the last five games. They are down with their batting form, and this has hurt the side badly. Knight Riders have enjoyed a good record against the Royals in the past and it will be interesting to see if Rajasthan Royals can put KKR in a spot of bother winning this game. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Kolkata Knight Riders Preview

Eoin Morgan’s side kept its hopes alive for a berth in the playoffs with a 6-wicket win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Though the side bowled well in the game they had their hiccups with the bat which has troubled them in most of the games. Morgan would be aiming for a win here and march into the playoffs. 

Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer have done well as a pair and the side would need them to deliver the goods here. The middle order is looking somewhat fragile, and the side would need runs from Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana and Dinesh Karthik. Morgan has struggled with his form and shall need to do the big-hitting with Sunil Narine and Shakib al Hasan in the final overs. 

The side would look for a good show with the new ball from Tim Southee and Shivam Mavi with Southee having scripted last game’s win. Varun Chakravarthy and Narine have bowled well in tandem in the middle overs. Shakib’s entry into the side strengthens their bowling with Rana and Iyer adding to the bowling options for the side. 

Top Batsman – Shubman Gill    
Top Bowler – Varun Chakravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:

Eoin Morgan (c), Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Shakib Al Hasan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders Actual Playing XI:

Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan, RA Tripathi

Rajasthan Royals Preview

Sanju Samson’s side succumbed to pressure in their last game against the Mumbai Indians to end all their hopes of making it to the next round. It was a batting collapse that saw them being restricted to 99 runs in the last game. As they bow out of the tournament Sampson would be aiming to finish the season on a high. 

The side would need to get a quality start from Evin Lewis and Yashasvi Jaiswal after both the players threw away their wickets in the last game. Sampson has done well but needs good support from Shivam Dube and Glenn Phillips. David Miller and Rahul Tewatia have failed to deliver, and they would be hoping to end this season on a good note adding runs down the order. 

Mustafizur Rahman and Chetan Sakariya will have to get their rhythm after the poor show in the last game. KKR has a strong opening pair and they must strike early for the side to win. Kuldip Yadav and Shreyas Gopal need a good show in this game for them to put up a challenge against the Knight Riders. 

Top Batsman – Sanju Samson    
Top Bowler – Mustafizur Rahman

Rajasthan Royals Predicted Playing XI:

Sanju Samson (c & wk), Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Glenn Phillips, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Kuldip Yadav, Chetan Sakariya, Shreyas Gopal, Mustafizur Rahman

Rajasthan Royals Actual Playing XI:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, Shivam Dube, Mustafizur Rahman, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Sanju Samson, Glenn Phillips, Chris Morris, R Tewatia, Liam Livingstone

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It will be a hot and humid evening at Sharjah on October 07, and we expect to see a dual-paced surface that would require the batsmen to be watchful. Scoring runs hasn’t been easy on this surface so far. The side that bats first here would be happy to post a total above 150 runs on this track.

Venue Details

Sharjah Cricket Stadium is usually a high scoring with the small size of the ground and fast outfield helping batsmen score quick runs but the wickets have been dual paced this season creating doubts in the minds of batsmen. There is absolutely nothing on this surface for the fast bowlers. Spinners have enjoyed a good tournament this year with the slow surface aiding them.

Toss: To Bowl

The wicket here has been surprisingly slow this season and we have seen a string of low-scoring games. It has been a very difficult surface to set a score on and sides chasing have enjoyed a good record. The side that wins the toss here would have little hesitation in batting first here.