IPL 2021: Match 54 – Strongest Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI against Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Kolkata Knight Riders will be facing Rajasthan Royals in their final league match of the IPL 2021. They have won six out of their 13 matches while their good net run rate puts them in a place where if they are able to beat Rajasthan, it won’t be too difficult for them to qualify. Now, given this situation, this is expected to be a tight and a must-win game for them. 

Here is the strongest XI of Kolkata Knight Riders for their game against Rajasthan Royals:

Openers (Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer)

Shubman Gill returned to form with his knock in the previous match. The top-order batter has been a bit up and down in the last few months. His knock of 57 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad will definitely give a lot of confidence going into this crucial knock. KKR would hope for him to fire in the last huddle which can take them into the playoffs. 

Venkatesh Iyer didn’t really have a good game against Hyderabad, but after a few good matches and performances at the start of the UAE leg, he has bought himself the right to probably have an off-game. He has bounced back from low performances quite well and produced improvements every time he has come back.

Middle-order (Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, and Dinesh Karthik)

Rahul Tripathi has looked in control with the blade in this season and has managed to produce some good batting performances. He did have an off-game against Hyderabad but would be expected to perform better in the next game. Eoin Morgan hasn’t hit form and didn’t even need to in the previous game. He made an unbeaten two in the run chase against Hyderabad. 

He didn’t have to do a lot because Dinesh Karthik managed to finish the game quickly with his cameo of 18 runs from 12 balls. Apart from him, Nitish Rana too got a good score of 25 runs. It was an important knock and might give him some confidence. But, KKR would want him to score with a better strike rate. 

All-rounders (Sunil Narine and Shakib Al Hasan)

Shakib Al Hasan finally got a chance in the KKR’s XI in the previous match with Andre Russell still not available due to injury issues. His first performance in the UAE this season was quite good as he ended with 1 for 20 in four overs and also effected a crucial runout of Kane Williamson, who was looking dangerous. 

That should be enough to convince the KKR management that Shakib can once again be a threat on a slow surface in Dubai. At what position will he bat is a good question, KKR might slot him down the order. Sunil Narine had an effective game against Hyderabad. Despite being wicketless, he gave only 12 runs in four overs and made a contribution to the bowling department. 

Bowlers (Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, and Tim Southee)

Shivam Mavi has been filling the role of the Indian pacer in this Kolkata line-up quite nicely for the last two matches. He ended the game against Hyderabad with figures of 2 for 29 in four overs. He should continue to retain his spot having done well. Varun Chakravarthy also had a good day with the ball, picking up two wickets in his four-over spell. 

Tim Southee has come in and seamlessly filled the spot of Lockie Ferguson, who remains uncertain for this game. If Ferguson gains fitness, then he might be taken into the team directly. However, Captain Morgan has also backed the experienced Southee to deliver. The New Zealander picked up two wickets giving 26 runs in his four overs.