IPL 2018: Match 15, Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders – Match Predictions

The Rajasthan Royals are back home after putting on a grand show away at Chinnaswamy and they will want to continue the winning momentum they have generated with two back-to-back wins as they face a spirited Kolkata Knight Riders side tomorrow. The KKR is also coming off a thumping win over the Delhi Daredevils and they won’t be short on confidence either.

The last time they were on the road, they had a horrible time at Chepauk as they lost the game despite posting a 200-run total on the board. They will want to make sure they don’t have that kind of a visit again as they will be keen on a positive result at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Pitch and Conditions

The Sawai Mansingh pitch is one of the flattest in the tournament and while it’s flat, it’s hard as well which means the bounce off the deck is also good unlike some of the other Indian pitches which despite being flat are not quick and bouncy enough for the batsmen to hit the balls on the rise.

With both the teams having batsmen who fancy fast bowling, some serious bating entertainment is on the cards and until and unless somebody bowls an absolute ripper of a spell, this in all likelihood should be a high-scoring game.

The first game played at this venue in this year’s IPL was won by the team batting first, but that was a rain-affected game and the target was determined by D/L method which is not likely to happen every time and under normal circumstances, batting second is beneficial here just like any other venue in India because of dew.

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Playing Combination

Rajasthan Royals

Probable Changes – D’Arcy Short and Ben Laughlin out, Heinrich Klaasen and Jofra Archer in

D’Arcy Short has had a tough time this IPL. He was unluckily run out in the first couple of game without doing much and then again at Chinnaswamy the other afternoon, he couldn’t register a big score, which left his place in the XI hanging by a thin thread.

There is not much possibility of the Australian left-hander getting another opportunity, with Rajasthan having another clean striker of the ball available at their disposal in Heinrich Klaasen. If Klaasen comes in for Short, he will take over the gloves from Jos Buttler and will bat in the middle order, most probably at no. 4, while Rahul Tripathi will take up the role of Ajinkya Rahane’s opening partner.

Rajasthan might make a change in the bowling department as well and replace Ben Laughlin with Jofra Archer. Laughlin was surprisingly preferred ahead of Jofra last game despite the latter having joined the squad which raised many eyebrows. The team management perhaps backed Laughlin’s variations on a slow Chinnaswamy surface, but he couldn’t make much of an impact and will likely have to vacate his place for Jofra now.

Predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat

Kolkata Knight Riders

Probable Changes – No Change

There is no room for change for Kolkata as they did fairly well in all departments of the game last night at Eden Gardens. However they will probably want to reconsider their batting order. While they are rightfully picking the young Indian batting sensation Shubman Gill, they are not being able to make the best use of his abilities by slotting him at no. 7. They can get plenty out of him if they give him a slightly extra bit of time in the middle by sending him in at no. 3 or 4.

While Gill hasn’t had the opportunity to showcase his skills properly yet, Shivam Mavi, another teenager in the KKR XI, justified his inclusion big time against Delhi as he cranked up speeds in the range of 145 KPH consistently and hurried some of the accomplished international batsmen with his pace, impressing many cricket pundits in the process. His skill-set seems to be of a very high level and the KKR management will be looking forward to some fiery spells from the young man going forward in the tourney.

Predicted XI: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (C & WK), Andre Russell, Shivam Mavi, Tom Curran, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav

Team Comparison

Rajasthan’s bowling is a worry for them as there is no real quality in there except Jofra who can’t be expected to be at his best in his very first appearance, especially after an injury lay-off which kept him out of the game for some time.

KKR’s bowling, on the other hand, doesn’t only have quality, but has enough variety as well which is so very important in this format. Sunil Narine has been at the top of his game with the ball and the likes of Andre Russell and Piyush Chawla have been putting up decent efforts as well. Kuldeep Yadav is struggling a touch with his rhythm, but the good thing is he is still getting wickets which would have kept his morale up.

Batting wise, both teams are there and thereabouts. Sanju Samson’s form is a big plus for Rajasthan as he has been hitting the ball as well as he has ever done, but they would be a little bothered about the form of their two big overseas names Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler who haven’t contributed as much with the bat as expected.

KKR would be hoping for a Lynn-sanity show up top which has not been on display in IPL 11 yet. The big Aussie right-hander has been relatively quiet in the four matches and is certainly due for an explosive knock, so is Robin Uthappa who has also thrown away quite a few starts thus far. However the trump card for the visitors will be Nitish Rana who has been their most in-form player with the bat.

Probable Top Performers

Rahul Tripathi (Rajasthan Royals), Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Head to Head

Matches – 15, Rajasthan Royals – 7, Kolkata Knight Riders – 6, Tie – 2

The timing of the match: 08:00 pm IST

Broadcast Details

TV – Star Sports 1, Star Sports Hindi, Star Sports Select 1

Online – Jio TV, Hotstar

The prediction is for the Kolkata Knight Riders to beat the Rajasthan Royals in this match.