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Peter Green - March 25, 2025
Two teams, still searching for their first win this season, will face off on Wednesday at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Rajasthan Royals had a mammoth 287 runs target to chase in their first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Parag’s decision to chase after winning the toss backfired as SRH’s batting lineup dominated. However, RR came close to chasing the 287-run target, finishing at 242/6, with strong contributions from Jurel (70), Samson (66), and Hetmyer (42).
Meanwhile, Kolkata’s night at Eden Gardens were dreadful as they started off well but failed to maintain the momentum midway as they managed to score just 67 runs in their final 10 overs. RCB comfortably chased KKR’s 175-run target with 22 balls to spare. However, Ajinkya Rahane’s 56 was impressive to say the least.
The Indian Premier League rivalry between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders remains tightly contested. Out of 30 encounters, both teams have secured 14 victories each, with two matches abandoned.
Focusing on their clashes at RR’s home ground, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, the competition is equally balanced. In six matches, both RR and KKR have won three games apiece.
Given the current statistics, neither team holds a definitive upper hand in their head-to-head record. But when focusing on the latest H2H games, Rajasthan Royals won three of their last four meetings.
Rajasthan Royals:
No big changes are expected in the team. Riyan Parag will continue as captain, while Sanju Samson will play only as a batsman until he fully recovers. Rajasthan’s batting looks strong, as seen in their first match, where they scored 242 runs while chasing SRH’s massive 287-run target. However, their bowling is a concern, especially Jofra Archer, who had a tough game, conceding 76 runs in 4 overs—the worst figures in IPL history.
Kolkata Knight Riders:
KKR started their season with a 7-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They played their best XI at Eden Gardens but still couldn’t overcome RCB.
Their main issue was in the second half of their batting. Despite a strong start from Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine, they struggled later. Even with power hitters like Andre Russell and Rinku Singh, KKR managed only 67 runs in the last 10 overs and lost seven wickets.
Sanju Samson (RR): Rajasthan Royals’ captain will be a big challenge for KKR’s bowlers, especially since he is playing purely as a batsman. Without the added pressure of captaining, Samson can score big runs, as seen in the first match against SRH, where he smashed 66 runs effortlessly while chasing a huge target.
Tushar Deshpande (RR): In the last game against SRH, while other bowlers struggled, Deshpande stood out with a career-best performance, taking 3 wickets in 4 overs. Given his consistency over the past two seasons, where he has taken 15+ wickets each year, he is expected to maintain his strong form.
Quinton de Kock (KKR): He couldn’t deliver in the last match, and had he performed, the result might have been different for KKR. However, he remains a key player, having scored 105 runs in his first three games last season, with his lowest score being 27.
Sunil Narine (KKR): Narine impressed both with bat and ball in the last game, scoring 44 off 26 balls and taking 1 wicket for just 27 runs in 4 overs. As an all-rounder, he lived up to expectations, and his spin could be a major threat to RR’s partnerships.
Captain- Riyan Parag
Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal , Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Impact Player- Shubham Dubey.
Captain- Ajinkya Rahane
Quinton de Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sunil Narine, Andre Russel, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy
Impact Player- Vaibhav Arora.
Rajasthan Royals’ batting has been explosive against Kolkata Knight Riders in their last four meetings. They scored over 100 runs in the first 10 overs in three of those games. Notably, one of their openers has scored over 50 runs in each of the last four clashes.
RR also had the highest individual scorer in three of their last four matches against KKR. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been due for a big score, will be eager to make an impact. His unbeaten 98 off 47 balls in the last match against KKR will give him confidence.
Additionally, all four games played at Sawai Mansingh Stadium last season saw teams scoring at least 185 runs in 20 overs. RR has consistently produced top individual scores in this matchup, making Top Batter to score over 72.5 runs a solid bet.
Note: To win “The Top Batter to score over 72.5 runs”; at least one batter from a team must score over 72 runs.
