Rajasthan Royals (RR) will face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 56th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday (May 11). It is an away game for the Royals and they will be looking to arrest their losing streak that has now stretched to three matches. In the last three outings, the Royals have lost to Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
On the other hand, KKR have found a renewed vigour and are still alive in the tournament winning three of their last four matches. The team has found match-winners at the right time winning the matches in the last over on most occasions. A win in this encounter for any team will break open the points table with either KKR or RR making it to the top four with 12 points.
Meanwhile, let us have a look at the Player Battles to watch out for in this game:
1. Jason Roy vs Trent Boult
A lot will depend on how KKR and RR start in their respective department in this battle. Trent Boult strikes more often than not in his first over while Roy likes to take the attack to the bowlers from the word go. However, there is a doubt if the England batter will be able to do it against Boult. The left-arm pacer from New Zealand has so far dismissed Roy twice in T20 cricket in 25 balls while conceding 34 runs. Clearly, Boult is winning this battle and it will be interesting to see if he continues to dominate his counterpart with the new ball.
2. Jos Buttler vs Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine's form is a cause of concern for KKR this season. But when it comes to RR and especially Jos Buttler, the mystery spinner wakes up and performs exceptionally well. Across all T20 matches, Narine has dismissed Buttler three times in 67 deliveries and has conceded only 69 runs. Buttler is coming off a brilliant knock of 95 runs against SRH in the previous game and will be looking for consistency. Narine, meanwhile, could be introduced in the powerplay itself to break the opening stand of the Royals.
3. Nitish Rana vs Ravi Ashwin
Well, this is another battle to watch out for and this time, the batter is winning it hands down. KKR is being shepherded through by their skipper Nitish Rana in the middle overs and this time around, he is likely to face off-spinner Ravi Ashwing during this period. Rana boasts of a massive strike rate of 190.38 while facing Ashwin having smashed him for 99 runs off 52 balls. Interestingly, Ashwin has not dismissed Rana even once so far.
