Match – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals – 54th match
Venue – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Time – 7:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT
Where to watch live – Star Sports Network, Hotstar
Pitch Report
The pitch in Sharjah hasn’t been an easy one for batting thus far in the tournament. Scoring runs in the first six overs will hold a lot of importance. The spinners are expected to play a critical role. Chasing should be the way forward.
Avg first innings score: 132 (7 matches in the IPL 2021 at Sharjah)
Record of chasing teams: Won – 5, Lost – 2, Tied – 0
Probable Playing XIs:
Kolkata Knight Riders
Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C),Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Tim Seifert/Shakib Al Hasan, Tim Southee, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi
Bench: Karun Nair, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Shakib Al Hasan/Tim Seifert, Ben Cutting, Pawan Negi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson, Harbhajan Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sandeep Warrier, Vaibhav Arora, Sandeep Warrier, Lockie Ferguson
Venkatesh Iyer has been a revelation for the Knight Riders in the ongoing edition of the IPL. In six matches, the left-handed batter has already racked up 201 runs at an average of 40.20 and a strike rate of 134. Although he failed to score against the Sunrisers, he is more than capable of making up for it against the Royals. Not to forget that he is more than handy with the ball.
Probable best bowler of the match
Varun Chakravarthy– Kolkata Knight Riders
Varun Chakravarthy has been excellent for the Knight Riders in the UAE leg of IPL 2021. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for Morgan and Co. having picked up 15 wickets from 13 games at an economy rate of 6.73. Even as in India he wasn’t all that success, Chakravarthy has made amends in the second half. The Royals’ batters may not find it easy for face him.
