Today at IPL 2022, RR vs KKR: Kolkata look to arrest slide against inconsistent Rajasthan

Kolkata Knight Riders, under new captain Shreyas Iyer, had begun their IPL 2022 season on a strong note, collecting as many as 6 points in 4 matches and enjoying a brief stint at the top of the table. However, the Knight Riders are in danger of falling behind in the already spiced-up race for the top 4 after facing two defeats on the bounce.

Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to return to winning ways when they take on Rajasthan Royals, who have had their fair share of problems with consistency in the new IPL season, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, April 18.

KKR are currently facing the issue of their key players being out of form. Venkatesh Iyer, who stormed onto the scene and led them to the final last year with his exploits at the top, has been struggling for runs at the top. KKR dropped Ajinkya Rahane, who was failing to get going at the top, with Aaron Finch but the IPL journeyman did not have a good start to his KKR stint. On the other hand, Varun Chakravarthy is being carted around even as Sunil Narinie is single-handed doing the heavylifting for the bowling attack. Umesh Yadav’s rise through the Purple Cap charts has slowed down while Pat Cummin has been leaking plenty.

Captain Shreyas Iyer has plenty of thinking to do as he will be hoping that KKR can step up and put up a good fight on Monday, ending their 2-match losing streak.

On the other hand, the Royals are heading into the contest on the back of a 37-run loss to leaders Gujarat Titans. The former champions badly missed Trent Boult, who picked up a minor injury. Sanju Samson’ own form has been a concern even as Jos Buttler is dominating the race for Orange Cap.

Previous Results

KKR are currently in the 6th spot in the IPL 2022 points table with 3 wins in 6 matches while RR are at the 5th spot, having collected 6 from just 5 matches. Neither would want to lose Monday’s contest as it would widen the gap between them and the top 4.

RR: Lost to GT, Beat LSG, Lost to RCB, Beat MI, Beat SRH

KKR: Lost to SRH, Lost to DC, Beat MI, Beat PBKS, Lost to RcB, Beat CSK

Key Players

RR: Yuzvendra Chahal – The wily leg-spinner can put the brakes on KKR’s already struggling batting unit. His battle against Andre Russell, who is doing the bulk of the job in the middle-overs, will be key to RR’s chances.

KKR: Varun Chakravarthy – KKR need their mystery spinner to return to form and hold one end, especially against the explosive batting line-up of RR. The Tamil Nadu spinner has dismissed Jos Buttler twice in the IPL, conceding just 41 runs and KKR will be hoping he can do the job once again in the powerplay on Monday.

Predicted Playing XIs

RR: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c and wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

KKR: Aaron Finch, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Aman Hakim Khan, Varun Chakravarthy.