IPL 2019 KKR vs RR Preview: Kolkata eye turnaround in the must-win game

In match 43 of VIVO Indian Premier League 2019 (IPL 2019), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. KKR are at the sixth spot in the IPL 2019 points table while RR are at number seven. Both KKR and RR lost their previous matches against SRH and DC respectively. Dinesh Karthik-led KKR are struggling to stay afloat after five defeats on the trot and will have to win remaining four league stage matches to keep their hopes alive. Rajasthan Royals, who replaced Steve Smith in place of Ajinkya Rahane as the skipper, did not have a good season and are virtually out of the playoffs contention. Kinght Riders likely to make some changes in KKR playing 11, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav after drubbing from Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous match. 

Check 2019 IPL Points table here

Kolkata Knight Riders Team News:

Once seen as one of the strongest contenders for the playoffs, KKR veered off from the the track and are yet to make a recovery. With five losses in a row, the side is under pressure and over-reliance on Andre Russell has cost them heavily.

KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik is has not been able to score runs and his decision to not promote in-form Andre Russell in the batting-order is questionable.

The team fails to learn from past mistakes and it is visible from poor decision making while defending runs.

The team's batting collapsed in their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad despite a flying start by Sunil Narine. Again, Andre Russell came to bat at seventh position and hardly had a few balls left to hit. The all-rounder perished in his bid to play another cameo and the team settled on 159/8. If batting was not enough, the side faltered on bowling too and David Warner and Jonny Bairstow did not face any resistance at all.

Prithvi Raj and KC Cariappa was brought in the KKR playing 11 in their previous match and senior batsman Robin Uthappa and chinaman Kuldeep Yadav was rested. The side may go for a change or two against RR.

Rajasthan Royals Team News:

Rajasthan failed to tackle its own issues and ran out of time. The side is unlikely to make it to the playoffs but can play a hurdle in other teams' path.

Steve Smith, who took over captaincy from Ajinkya Rahane, smashed a fifty in their previous match against Delhi Capitals while Ajinkya Rahane smashed a century laced with suave and class yet Rishabh Pant snatched the victory from their jaws.

The side has been unlucky a few times despite putting up a good shaw with the bat and ball.

Jos Buttler's absence was seen as a challenge for the side but they managed well. On the bowling side, Jofra Archer has been consistent throughout but need the support of fielders for catches. Riyan Parag hsa beena an interesting addition while Shreyas Gopal is promising.

Stuart Binny deserves a special mention after he shined with the bat and ball in the last two matches.

Rajasthan have equal chance against Kolkatam, the side needs some some confidence to convert a good show into victory.

Here are the playing 11 probable of both the teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, S Narine, Rinku Singh/Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, KC Cariappa, H Gurney/ Prasidh Krishna, Prithvi Raj.

Rajasthan Royals: Ashton Turner, Parag Barman, Sanju Samson, Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith, Jofra Archer, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Stokes, Dhawal Kulkarni.

IPL 2019, Match 43: KKR vs RR Live streaming details

Date and Day: April 25, 2019, Thursday

Place: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Time: 08:00 pm IST

KKR vs RR match live streaming will be available live on Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 in English Commentary and Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD in Hindi Commentary. One can also live stream the KKR vs RR 2019 IPL match on Hotstar app and Tatasky app. The fans can also watch in-depth analysis of live match on Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports Select 1 HD.

Here are the squads of both the teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik (capt), Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Nikhil Naik, Joe Denly, Shrikant Mundhe, Nitish Rana, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Harry Gurney, Matt Kelly, KC Cariappa and Yarra Prithviraj.

Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Shubham Ranjane, Ashton Turner, Steve Smith, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Sudhesan Midhun, Jaydev Unadkat, Ish Sodhi, Prashant Chopra, Mahipal Lomror, Oshane Thomas, Aryaman Birla, Riyan Parag, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Liam Livingstone, Varun Aaron, Jos Buttler, Shahshank Singh, Manan Vohra, Rahul Tripathi.