Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey
IPL 2021 Match 54: KKR vs RR Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | KOL vs RR Dream11 Prediction Today | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals Key Players | Sharjah Pitch Report
Another year, another “nearly there” conversation for the Rajasthan Royals. Ahead of their match with the struggling Mumbai Indians, the Royals knew that two wins from their final two matches would guarantee a playoffs berth. One of those matches is against Kolkata Knight Riders today, which had the potential to be a straight shootout for fourth spot.
However, it was a disastrous night for the Royals, losing with 70 balls to spare. Their defeat was so heavy that all hope of a playoffs appearance is gone, and will now have to find the motivation to end a promising but unfulfilled season on a high.
Also, the Royals’ huge defeat has ramifications for KKR. All of a sudden, a win today might still not be enough to quality on net run rate, given MI have made significant ground in that area. However, one feels that the ball is still in KKR’s court, as a solid performance here will go a long way to achieving a fine turnaround after a poor first leg of the tournament.
At Sharjah, KKR managed to beat the table-leading Delhi Capitals earlier this season. And, they are likely to welcome back Andre Russell and Lockie Ferguson. The Royals were all at sea on the slow track two nights ago, so how they adjust will make for interesting viewing.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
Kolkata Knight Riders:
- Can Shubman Gill build on his half-century in the last match? He struggled in the early part of his 51-ball 57, but accelerated well enough to get KKR close to the 115 target by SRH and help seal victory.
- Gill has scored 142 runs in six innings vs RR at an average of 28.40 and strike rate of 120.34. However, the most important stat to note is Gill’s love of chasing compared to setting totals. He averages 39.1 batting second compared 24.9 batting first in his IPL career.
- Venkatesh Iyer had a quiet match vs SRH, but he has been a key reason why KKR have improved in the UAE leg. He has made scores of 53, 18, 14, 67 and 8 in phase two, along with three wickets.
- Rahul Tripathi has produced some of his best form in recent years, and will be looking to get back in the runs after falling to Rashid Khan for 7 vs SRH. He has scored 74*, 45, 9, 34 and 7 in the UAE leg.
- Andre Russell is back in training and could feature in this match. He strikes at 171.72 in eight innings vs RR (170 runs, avg. 28.33). He also has six wickets in five innings (avg. 21) – it will be interesting to see if he bowls today after injury.
- Dinesh Karthik has a superb record for KKR vs RR: 7 inns, 258 runs, avg. 64.50, SR 151.76.
- Sunil Narine was player of the match in KKR’s earlier match at Sharjah this season vs DC (2/18 and 21 off 10 balls). He will be aiming to improve on his record vs the Royals which reads: 14 inns, 10 wickets, avg. 41.50. However, given the nature of the Sharjah pitch, expect Narine to be difficult to get away.
- Lockie Ferguson is also a good chance of returning. The speedster has been in the wickets in the UAE leg, taking figures of 2/24, 2/27, 1/33 and 2/10.
- Varun Chakravarthy took 2/32 vs RR earlier this season, part of six wickets in three matches for KKR vs RR at an average of 12. Interestingly, Chakravathy has just the two wickets in four games at Sharjah, but like Narine, expect Chakravarthy to be difficult to get away in such conditions.
Rajasthan Royals:
- Evin Lewis has smashed 151 runs in five games at a strike rate of 162.36 in the UAE leg. The left-hander will be key in getting RR off to a good start on a slow pitch before the ball gets much softer.
- Can Yashasvi Jaiswal make a big impact? He has scored 49 (36), 5 (4), 36 (23), 31 (22), 50 (21) and 12 (9) in the UAE leg, but strokeplay is much more difficult on the Sharjah pitch.
- The same applies to Sanju Samson, who is typically a free-flowing player. He averages 43.80 with a strike rate of 178.05 in five matches at Sharjah, but conditions at this ground are vastly different to last season.
- Against KKR, Samson has scored 247 runs in 11 innings at an average of just 24.70 and strike rate of 112.27.
- Rahul Tewatia has four wickets in four matches for RR vs KKR at an average of 18.25. Also, he takes a wicket every 13.25 deliveries at Sharjah, so he could be a key man for the Royals today.
- Mustafizur Rahman has taken six wickets in his last five matches. Eyes will be on his cutters once again, which will be a challenge to get away on the Sharjah surface.
- Chetan Sekariya was RR’s other wicket-taker against MI the other night. However, the left-armer will be aiming to bounce back after going the distance against Ishan Kishan.
Stats and Facts
- Matches 24, KKR 12, RR 11, N/R 1.
- RR (134/4) beat KKR (133/9) with ease earlier in the season. Chris Morris was player of the match with 4/24.
- We could see Sunil Narine bowl in the powerplay. He has dismissed Evin Lewis six times in 14 T20s, and Lewis strikes at just 84 against him.
- Eoin Morgan is averaging just 11.1 this season, which is the worst average for any batsman with at least 100 runs in IPL 2021. He does, however, have past success vs Royals: 4 inns, 153 runs, avg. 76.50, SR 159.38.
- Nitish Rana is five runs away from 3,000 in T20s.
Possible Playing 11
Kolkata Knight Riders: 1. Shubman Gill, 2. Venkatesh Iyer, 3. Rahul Tripathi, 4. Nitish Rana, 5. Eoin Morgan (c), 6. Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7. Andre Russell/Shakib Al Hasan, 8. Sunil Narine, 9. Lockie Ferguson/Tim Southee, 10. Prasidh Krishna/Sandeep Warrier, 11. Varun Chakravarthy
Rajasthan Royals: 1. Evin Lewis, 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Sanju Samson (c & wk), 4. Shivam Dube, 5. Glenn Phillips, 6. David Miller/Chris Morris, 7. Rahul Tewatia, 8. Shreyas Gopal/Mayank Markande, 9. Kuldip Yadav, 10. Mustafizur Rahman, 11. Chetan Sakariya
Sharjah Pitch Report and Weather
Slow and sluggish is the theme this season. The average first innings score is 132.14, with the team batting second winning five of the seven matches. The Royals struggled badly on this surface the other night, scoring just 90/9.
More clear and warm weather is on the cards.
Dream11 Prediction
Note: Teams below are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these teams in time after the final playing XIs have been announced.
Option 1:
Option 2:
Fan2Play Prediction
Base team:
- Wicket-keepers: Dinesh Karthik
- Batsmen: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill
- All-rounders: Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell
- Bowlers: Lockie Ferguson, Mustafizur Rahman
Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?
Match Prediction
IPL 2021 has thrown up some unpredictable results, so don’t be surprised if the Royals win especially if they chase. However, KKR start as favourites with plenty to play off, and should win.
