The 54th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 can be expected to be a blockbuster clash between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. KKR batsmen showcased the damage they can cause if they get going but their bowling efforts weren’t enough to get them over the line against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Now winning against RR could save the campaign for KKR – but they are also heavily dependent on results from other franchises as well. Lucky for them, KKR would know all the equations by the time they will be facing the Royals and will have time to prepare their team accordingly.
ALSO READ: Match 54 (KKR vs RR) – Fantasy XI Predictions
Royals are on a winning streak with two consecutive wins and it has completely changed the dynamics of the points table in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League. Steve Smith & his men will be hoping to continue in the same vein of form, and after two dominant wins, there is no reason for Steve Smith to tinker with the team too much.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
KKR team management has a lot to ponder while selecting the XI for the game as they might consider including Andre Russell despite him not being 100% fit. However, he will be expected to replace Pat Cummins or Lockie Ferguson. Given Tripathi’s poor run, the team might consider turning to Nikhil Naik and even the form of Kamlesh Nagarkoti can also be a cause of concern.
Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Pat Cummins, Rinku Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Shivam Mavi/Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
After their win over KXIP, it’s unlikely RR will make any changes to their line-up. In eth last two games, Stokes has found his mojo back and Varun Aaron firing with all cylinders has also been a huge positive for RR. However, RR management will be expecting Robin Uthappa to give some fiery start.
Probable XI: Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Steven Smith (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Kartik Tyagi.
