Watch cricket video highlights between Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals. Indian Premier League 2024 seventieth match, played at Guwahati.
Earlier this week, the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati hosted its inaugural IPL match, which saw RR lose to PBKS after faltering to 145 for 9. After hosting three IPL matches, its average first-inning score is a mere 180. The range of temperatures is 24 to 31 degrees Celsius, with high levels of humidity, rain, and sporadic thunderstorms predicted for the evening. The fact that RR shocked the Kolkata audience a month ago by pulling off a stunning comeback win in their previous encounter would give them more confidence. The fact that Jos Buttler wrote the script for that triumph by himself and is now off to the UK to prepare for the T20 World Cup will not instill confidence in RR.
Before the pivotal playoffs, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the hard-hitting opener for Afghanistan, will probably receive a game. At just 22, he possesses the elite firepower that KKR needs to balance out Sunil Narine. His current T20 history, which includes 105 runs in his past six innings, and his IPL record from the previous season, which included 227 runs from 11 innings at an average of 20.63 and a strike rate of just 133.52, don’t exactly instill confidence. Compared to Kohler-Cadmore, Gurbaz could face a more difficult test since he will have to perform well against players like Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, and others.
The two substitute openers will be the center of attention. Against PBKS, Tom Kohler-Cadmore has already made his IPL debut, even though he ended up scoring an 18 off 23 balls on a track he probably wouldn’t have wanted to avoid. Since Yashasvi Jaiswal’s runs have slowed down a bit, RR won’t mind if he hits some damaging ground balls. He is a devastating batter. Naturally, Kohler-Cadmore has established himself in the Lanka Premier League, PSL, BBL, Abu Dhabi T10, and Hundred. Some outstanding performances in pivotal games for RR will give that list even more weight.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is set to open for Salt, as was anticipated for the washout match against GT. Depending on whether the wicket favors more pace or turn, their impact bowler replacing a batsman such as Venkatesh Iyer might be either Vaibhav Arora or Suyash Sharma. Similar to when he replaced Dhruv Jurel for Donovan Ferreira during their most recent match against Punjab Kings, when they were down to 102 for 6, Tom Kohler-Cadmore will now hold Buttler’s position at the top. Hetmyer missed out that day, so it might not be the case again on Sunday, but he’s fit, so RR will have to switch up their lineup. When facing the potent KKR lineup, RR would want to consider adding a sixth bowling option if the game ends up being a run fest.
That inquiry would have been more legitimate a week or two ago because RR and KKR had taken the top two slots for themselves, with RR even retaining the top spot for a spell. Then Sunrisers Hyderabad arrived, raising doubts about RR’s campaign. SRH ended RR’s four-match winning streak with a narrow one-run victory in the final ball, but they also started a four-match losing trend that RR hasn’t been able to end yet. They now take on the leaders of the table, KKR, who have won four straight games excluding the washout against Gujarat Titans. KKR is looking for the elusive victory that would guarantee their second slot regardless of the results of RCB vs. CSK on Saturday and SRH vs. PBKS in the afternoon game on Sunday.
For the first eight of the nine games, RR held the winning mantra firmly in their grasp; this is a pattern they are accustomed to. They had won six of the previous eight games and lost half of the remaining six to finish outside the top six the year before. This year, they had won five of the first eight games and lost four of the final six to miss out on a playoff position. If they want to play in the first qualifier rather than the elimination round, they may break that pattern, end the losing run, and boost their confidence with a victory over KKR in their last league game.
After their run of victories, KKR are in such good spirits that it shouldn’t come as a surprise if they win the championship from now on. However, their success may also contribute to the possibility that they may lose their coach, Gautam Gambhir, to the Indian cricket team. A week has passed since KKR confirmed their spot in the first qualifier, giving them enough time to consider who would take Phil Salt’s position at the top and devise a strategy for Sunil Narine’s off day, whether he bats or fields.
