A washout means Rajasthan Royals would have to settle for the third spot.© BCCI

Match Preview: Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2024, Match 70: Match 70 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 will see Rajasthan Royals (RR) face off against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, on May 19, starting at 07:30 PM IST.

Team Standings and Recent Performances

Rajasthan Royals (RR): Ranked second on the points table with 16 points from 13 matches, RR will look to solidify their position in the top two. In their last match, RR faced a setback against Punjab Kings (PBKS), losing the game. Riyan Parag was the standout performer for RR, earning 80 fantasy points.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Leading the points table with 19 points from 12 matches, KKR have been in exceptional form this season. They secured a victory against Mumbai Indians (MI) by 18 runs in their last outing. Andre Russell was the top fantasy player for KKR, scoring 86 fantasy points.

Head-to-Head

RR and KKR have clashed 29 times in IPL history. KKR’s batters have historically accumulated the most fantasy points for their team, while RR’s bowlers have been the primary contributors in terms of fantasy points. In their previous encounter this season, Jos Buttler was named Man of the Match, earning 154 fantasy points for RR, while Sunil Narine was the top scorer for KKR with 234 fantasy points.

Key Players to Watch

Sunil Narine (KKR): A versatile player, Narine has been impactful both as a top-order left-handed batter and an off-break bowler. He has scored 461 runs in 12 matches, averaging 38.4 and has taken 15 wickets, averaging 20.8 per match.

Sanju Samson (RR): The captain and wicketkeeper for RR, Sanju Samson is a right-handed top-order batter who has score d 504 runs in 13 matches, boasting an impressive average of 56 per match.

Andre Russell (KKR): Known for his explosive batting and effective fast bowling, Russell has scored 222 runs in 12 matches at an average of 31.7. He has also taken 15 wickets, with an average of 17.4 per match.

Riyan Parag (RR): A reliable top-order right-handed batter, Parag has amassed 531 runs in 13 matches, averaging 59 per match.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR): The left-handed opener, Jaiswal, has scored 348 runs in 13 matches, averaging 29 per match.

Varun Chakravarthy (KKR): The leg-break googly bowler has been a key wicket-taker for KKR, with 18 wickets in 12 matches, averaging 20.4.

The upcoming clash between RR and KKR promises to be a thrilling encounter, with both teams vying for crucial points to strengthen their positions on the leaderboard. Fans can expect a high-intensity match with standout performances from both sides.

Match 70 of the Indian Premier League, 2024, has Rajasthan Royals taking on Kolkata Knight Riders. The match will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on May 19 at 07:30 PM IST.

RR vs KKR (Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders), Match 70 – Match Information

Match: Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Match 70

Date: May 19, 2024

Time: 07:30 PM IST

Venue: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati

RR vs KKR, Match Preview

Rajasthan Royals have played 13 matches and are ranked second on the points table with 16 points. Kolkata Knight Riders have also played 12 matches and hold the top spot with 19 points.

In the last match played by Rajasthan Royals against Punjab Kings, Rajasthan lost the match. The top fantasy player for Rajasthan was Riyan Parag who scored 80 fantasy points.

In their last match against Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders won 18 runs. The top fantasy player for Kolkata was Andre Russell who scored 86 fantasy points.

RR vs KKR, Pitch Report and Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, will allow for good stroke play and the batters will find it easy to bat on the surface. The average first-innings score at this venue in the last 16 matches is 151 runs.

Pace or Spin?

The venue is suited for both pacers and spinners alike.

Weather Report

The temperature is expected to be around 25 C with 77% humidity. 0.22 m/s winds are expected. There is light rain expected which may affect playing conditions.

RR vs KKR, Head-to-Head

In the 29 matches played between these two teams, Kolkata Knight Riders’ batters have earned the most fantasy points for their team, while the bowlers have earned the most fantasy points for Rajasthan Royals.

In their previous encounter earlier this series, Jos Buttler was the Man of the Match as he scored the highest fantasy points for Rajasthan Royals with 154 points while Sunil Narine topped the fantasy points leaderboard for Kolkata Knight Riders with 234 points.

RR vs KKR, Dream11 Top Captain and Vice-Captain Picks

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine is an all-rounder with an average of 106 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 10 and can be a good pick for your Dream11 Team. He is a top-order, left-handed batter. In 12 matches, he has scored 461 runs averaging 38.4 per match. Sunil Narine also bowls decently, bowling off-break and in recent matches, he has taken 15 wickets averaging 20.8 per match.

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson is a fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He has an average of 59 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 9.3. He is a top-order, right-handed batter and also keeps wickets. In 13 matches, he has scored 504 runs averaging 56 per match.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell is a safe bet for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 54 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 9.3. He is a right-handed batter. In 12 matches, Russell has scored 222 runs at an average of 31.7 per match. He is also a handy bowler, bowling right-arm fast and in recent matches, he has taken 15 wickets at an average of 17.4 per match.

Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag has an average of 54 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 10 and is a fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He is a top-order, right-handed batter. In 13 matches, Parag has scored 531 runs averaging 59 per match.

Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakaravarthy is a bowler with an average of 52 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.8 and is a safe bet for your Dream11 Fantasy Team. He bowls leg-break googly and in 12 matches, he has taken 18 wickets at an average of 20.4.

Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma is a fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He has an average of 41 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.9. He bowls right-arm medium and in eight matches, Sandeep has taken 10 wickets at an average of 23.8.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal is a bowler with an average of 33 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.4 and can be a good pick for your Dream11 Team. He is a leg-break googly bowler and in 13 matches, he has taken 17 wickets at an average of 27.6.

RR vs KKR, Squads

Rajasthan Royals (RR) Squad: Sanju Samson (c), Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, Donovan Ferreira, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Navdeep Saini, Avesh Khan, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Nandre Burger, Riyan Parag, Tanush Kotian, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Sen, Dhruv Jurel, Abid Mushtaq, Shubham Dubey and Kunal Singh Rathore.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Manish Pandey, Mitchell Starc, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Dushmantha Chameera, KS Bharat, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Phil Salt, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sherfane Rutherford, Varun Chakravarthy, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Chetan Sakariya, Vaibhav Arora, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Harshit Rana, Sakib Hussain and Suyash Sharma.

RR vs KKR, Dream11 Team

Wicket-Keeper: Sanju Samson

Batters: Riyan Parag, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer

All-Rounders: Ravichandran Ashwin, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell

Bowlers: Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Yuzvendra Chahal and Sandeep Sharma

Captain: Sunil Narine

Vice-Captain: Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals will be desperate to snap their four-match losing streak and finish in the top two when they meet table toppers Kolkata Knight Riders in an important IPL game in Guwahati on May 19.   
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

An alert from the National Disaster Management Authority bears grim prognoses about impending thunderstorms, rain and gusty wind for the residents here ahead of Rajasthan Royals versus Kolkata Knight Riders, Indian Premier League’s last group-stage fixture.

That the match at Barsapara Stadium may end up deciding whether Sanju Samson’s men finish in the top two, may have the dugout addressing a prayer or two to the weather gods.

How things are

The mathematics is quite simple now. If RR wins against KKR on Sunday, it enters Qualifier 1. However, a Chennai Super Kings loss on Saturday and a Punjab Kings win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the day game on Sunday can also ensure a second-place finish for the RR without it having to take the field.

If Sunday’s contest does get underway, death overs are where Samson’s team needs to metamorphose into its full glory. RR has not only scored 71 runs more than KKR between the 16th and 20th over, but it has also picked 24 wickets, a touch better than KKR’s 21. RR will also carry a psychological advantage for it pulled off a record chase to prevail the last time these two sides met.

An interesting duel to look forward to will be the one between spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Yuzvendra Chahal in the middle overs. While Varun has picked 16 wickets, the most by any bowler in 2024 between overs 7 and 16, Chahal has accounted for 15.

KKR will not have Phil Salt, who has flown back to England on national duty, in the eleven. Although Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz will be an ideal like-for-like replacement, Shreyas Iyer and Co. haven’t officially named anybody.

Teams (from):

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), KS Bharat (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson and Allah Ghazanfar.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Abid Mushtaq, Avesh Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Kuldeep Sen, Kunal Singh Rathore, Nandre Burger, Navdeep Saini, Ravichandran Ashwin, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Rovman Powell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Trent Boult, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuzvendra Chahal, Tanush Kotian

Match starts: 7.30pm.

File photo of Shreyas Iyer.© BCCI

Gautam Gambhir wants wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson to win games for India© BCCI

IPL 2024 Playoffs Scenario: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Thursday got its third play-off-qualified team in SunRisers Hyderabad. The Pat Cummins-led side reached 15 points in 13 games after its match against Gujarat Titans got washed out due to rain in Hyderabad. It ensured that SRH will be among the top-four sides along with Kolkata Knight Riders (19 points in 13 matches) and Rajasthan Royals (16 points in 13 matches). SRH still have a game left against PBKS on Sunday.

With three spots already sealed, the fight is among three teams for the final playoff spot –  Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Lucknow Super Giants. Out of the three, the real fight is between CSK and RCB. LSG have only mathematical chance of advancing in all practical sense.

Here’s the full details of the scenario for the four teams after SRH pocketed the third playoff spot.

Chennai Super Kings (14 points in 13 matches, NRR +0.528)

Matches remaining – 1 (vs RCB)

The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team is best-placed to grab the fourth playoff spot. A win against RCB on Saturday will see them through. If RR and SRH lose their last matches against KKR and Punjab Kings respectively, CSK can dream of a top-two finish too, provided they have better Net Run-rate. 

They can also advance even if they lose to RCB. For that, the side must ensure that the losing margin is not big. That will see their NRR remain better than RCB and hence finish above the rivals in the final points table.   

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (12 points in 13 matches, NRR +0.387)

Matches remaining – 1 (vs CSK)

The Faf du Plessis-led side has to win the last game to have a shot for the last playoff spot. And not just win, they have to triumph by a handsome margin to ensure their run-rate remains above CSK. 

Lucknow Super Giants (12 points in 13 matches, NRR -0.787)

Matches remaining – 1 (vs MI)

The KL Rahul-led team is facing an improbable scenario. The only way they can qualify is to hope they win their last match by a very humongous margin. Then, RCB beat CSK but not by a big margin. That might see their NRR get better that RCB and CSK. However, the scenario looks almost impossible.

Delhi Capitals (14 points in 14 matches, -0.377)

Matches remaining – 0

The side is out of the playoff race as it has no more matches left. They don’t have any other matches left to improve it.

The race to the playoffs of IPL 2024 is now picking pace. While Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals have already sealed the berth for themselves, a total of five teams are still in race for the remaining two spots. Chennai Super Kings, SunRisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants are the teams fighting for the top-4 finish. Among the remaining crucial games will be the RCB vs CSK match in Bengaluru on May 18.

While the winner of the game will get closer to IPL 2024 playoffs, the losing side will be eliminated from the tournament. Former India stars Irfan Pathan, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammad Kaif and ex-Australia players Matthew Hayden and Tom Moody told Star Sports as quoted by Hindustan Times that it will be CSK and not RCB, who will make it to the playoffs.

“Kolkata, Rajasthan, Hyderabad and… Chennai Super Kings are my picks. Because I feel CSK will find some or the other way to make the Playoffs. They are a legacy team,” said Irfan Pathan.

Meanwhile, former CSK star Ambati Rayudu said, “My top four predictions for now will be KKR at the top, followed by Chennai Super Kings at second. RR and SRH the other two.”

Mohammad Kaif, who also holds the experience of playing 29 IPL matches, said, “At the top for me would be KKR. At No. 2 would be (Rajasthan) Royals. At third would be (Sunrisers) Hyderabad and at the 4th position I would bank on CSK because they know how to perform in the big matches.”

“My top four, in no particular order, are… well, one has actually qualified. KKR are certainly there. I’m going to go with Rajasthan Royals. They have to beat this poor slump that they find themselves in (losing three matches in a row). Then I’ll pick Sunrisers Hyderabad since they have their matches back home and then CSK to win that derby against RCB on May 18,” said former CSK player Matthew Hayden.

“My top four in the Playoffs would be KKR at first place, Rajasthan Royals in the second position, Sunrisers Hyderabad at third and just falling into that fourth position, Chennai Super Kings,” said ex-SRH coach Tom Moody.

File photo of Kolkata Knight Riders in action© X (formerly Twitter)

IPL 2024: KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir posted this photo on Instagram© Instagram