WHAT’S AT STAKE:
KKR – With Mumbai only behind KKR because of NRR, KKR need a victory at least to stay fourth for now. Considering Mumbai play the final league game on Friday, Rohit Sharma’s men will know exactly how they can overtake KKR on the last day of the league stage. It will be paramount for KKR to not just win but to win by a big margin.
RR – Rajasthan are virtually out of the playoff race. Barring a mathematical miracle, they won’t go through even if they beat the Knight Riders.
At the start of the UAE leg, they were struggling in the bottom half but they have turned their season around by winning 4 out of their last 6 games. It will be for nothing though if they can’t qualify for the playoffs.
Shubman Gill, who looked woefully out of form in a number of games, finally scored a fifty in the previous game against SRH. Venkatesh Iyer has been a revelation for Eoin Morgan’s side and KKR will be hoping the all-rounder can come good with both bat and ball once again.
KKR though have received a major boost. Both Lockie Ferguson & Andre Russell were seen training with the team ahead of their all-important clash. The Knight Riders need both their star foreign players firing if they are to make it to the playoff and beyond.
Rajasthan’s last two results were a contrast of the highest order. While they romped home against Chennai by chasing down 190 with ease, they could only manage a sub-100 total against the Mumbai Indians.
Sanju Samson’s side has been extremely inconsistent, and with little to no chance of qualification, expect them to give the youngsters in the side a chance to excel on the big stage.
It’s now or never for the Knight Riders. All their hard work will go to waste if they cannot get over the line against the Royals. On the other hand, Rajasthan are in all probabilities are not going to make it but they can surely take KKR down with them. An interesting match awaits!
