The second game of ‘Super Sunday’ in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Dubai International stadium would be a battle to stay in the contention to move ahead.
The two teams are currently placed fifth and sixth in the league table with 12 points each. The net run-rate is the distinguishing factor between the two sides.
The winning team on Sunday would stay in contention for a last-four berth. The qualification tough would still depend on the outcome of the other games. If the King XI Punjab wins the first match of the days against Chennai Super Kings, the game becomes almost inconsequential for KKR and RR.
Royals will be buoyant and eager for their third successive win, following successful run-chases against Mumbai Indians (MI) and KXIP.
RR’s graph is on a rise, with the likes of Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson peaking at the right stage. Finishing efforts from Jos Buttler and Steve Smith ensured that RR’s batting unit is primed before the virtual knock-out affair.
RR, however, will have scope to improve in the bowling and fielding efforts. RR bowlers should ensure that the batting unit is not subjected to excessive pressure.
KKR have put themselves in a spot of bother with their inconsistency. They are coming off defeats in their last couple of games, and their graph is appearing to dip right at the business end of the tournament.
However, Eoin Morgan and Co. would take some heart out of the 37 run-win in the previous leg of the fixture against RR at Dubai in September.
KKR must devise such a method that the batting and bowling unit clicks together in the pivotal game.
Nevertheless, Brendon McCullum and the KKR think tank would want to incite a do-or-die attitude in the unit. Given the potential of the team, there is no way that KKR cannot beat RR on Sunday.
In short, the team that hold their nerves and play better cricket should be deserving a berth in the Playoffs. Albeit, the end result will be dependent on the outcome of the other fixtures.
Predicted XI:
RR:
Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Steven Smith (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi
KKR:
Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy
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