The contest between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will be an interesting one. Since both teams have the batting and bowling firepower. If Kolkata have Andre Russell and Eoin Morgan, then Rajasthan have Rahul Tewatia and Jos Buttler. It’s definitely going to be a great contest since both teams consist of power strikers.
Kolkata Knight Riders have won one and lost one game whereas Rajasthan are unbeaten in this season so far. Which is why we will have to wait and see if Rajasthan go on an unbeaten run this furthermore this season or if it’s Kolkata Knight Riders who win their second game of the season.
This competition is bound to be an exciting one since Rajasthan are also playing at a different venue in this game. We will have to wait and see if their batsmen pose the quality and ability to make this game at Dubai a high scoring affair.
Let’s take a look at the 5 key players to watch out for when Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with Rajasthan Royals:
1. Rahul Tewatia
How can one not talk about Rahul Tewatia after that steller show the other night against Kings Xi Punjab? He showed character, resilience and strength in his batting when at one point everyone thought he should retire out himself.
But then Rahul Tewatia rose from the bottom and showed what he’s capable of as he smashed Sheldon Cottell for five sixes in one over to pull the game back in Rajasthan’s favour. Which is why we should watch out for Tewatia this season as he’s one of the key players for the franchise in pink.
Also Read – 5 Unknown Facts About Rahul Tewatia
2. Shubman Gill
He’s the youngster from Punjab who has been in the talks since quite a long time now. After having an average first game, he came back strong in that match against Sunrisers Hyderabad which he scored an unbeaten 70 off just 62 deliveries to chase down a target of 143.
His innings was of pure quality as he held his nerve despite losing an early wicket and then successfully went on to chase the target without losing his wicket. Gill will be a key campaigner as Kolkata Knight Riders look to continue their winning run.
3. Sanju Samson
The young man has been on fire ever since this season started, in the two games, he’s played this season he has hit a fifty in both games. If he consistently scores runs for his franchise this season then him being include in the India team setup is not far.
In the first match against Chennai Super Kings, he scored a fifty batting first. Later his innings against Kings XI Punjab was instrumental in completing the highest successful chase in the history of the IPL.
4. Jofra Archer
The fast bowler from England Jofra has looked in a different ball game altogether this season. He’s been bowling well up front and back end for the Rajasthan side but he’s also been batting quite well for his team.
We all saw how Jofra smacked Lungi Ngidi the other day in the final over to take Rajasthan Royals past 200 in that game in Sharjah. Those 20 odd runs scored by Archer turned out to be the difference between the two sides as CSK failed to chase down the target despite MS Dhoni’s late blitz.
5. Eoin Morgan
The World Cup-winning captain of England made a comeback into the Indian Premier League this year and hasn’t taken time to show what a power performer he is. In the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Morgan scored an unbeaten 42 off 29 deliveries batting along with Shubman Gill which was enough for them to chase down the target set by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
If Morgan keeps going the same way he’s been going then KKR are up for a serious chance of grabbing the title this year, as he’s got the likes of Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill to back him with their performance.