KKR put up a highly methodical effort against SRH to restrict them to 142 in the 20 overs. Pat Cummins made a brilliant comeback after the pasting he took in the first match against Mumbai Indians. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy also made his mark by foxing the dangerous David Warner.
With no pressure, KKR batsmen took the opportunity to enjoy themselves. Shubman Gill played a mature hand remaining unbeaten on 70 while the experienced Eoin Morgan also got his eye in with a fluent 42. They would, however, want Andre Russell to get into the act. Kolkata’s star hitter hasn’t had much to do so far.
KKR’s opponents Rajasthan would be on an ultimate high after what they achieved against Kings XI Punjab. After looking gone for all money, they made a sensational comeback courtesy Rahul Tewatia, who turned an overnight star with 31 from 53 balls after struggling for most part. The stunning victory could not have been achieved without significant contributions from Sanju Samson and Steve Smith. They would be extremely pleased with their batting exploits so far.
RR though would hope their bowlers come up with a better show against KKR. Everyone from Jofra Archer to Shreyas Gopal struggled in the previous game. It remains to be seen whether RR carry on with Jaydev Unadkat. If they can get their bowling together, RR will have an edge over KKR.
Head to Head Record: Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals have met 21 times. Both sides have won 10 matches each with one game ending as no-result.
KKR Predicted XI: Shubman Gill, Sunil Narie, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (captain), Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Chakravarthy
RR Predicted XI: Jos Buttler, Steve Smith (captain), Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat
Pitch report
The pitch at Dubai is very good for batting. The last game here saw Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) winning the game against MI in the Super Over, with both teams scoring 200 plus.
Weather conditions
The conditions will be hot with the maximum temperature being 39. Humidity will be around 33 percent.
--Renin Wilben