Kolkata Knight Riders will face the challenge from Rajasthan Royals in the 56th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday (May 11). This is yet another crucial game in the context of playoff qualification as the winning team will directly climb to the third position trumping Mumbai Indians. KKR have found their groove at the right time while the Royals have lost it in the second half of the season. Before all the action begins, here's everything you need to know about the venue of the match - Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Pitch Report - KKR vs RR
Pitch number 4 at the Eden Gardens is set to be used for this match. This will be the fourth game played on this surface this season. With Cyclone Mocha hovering around, the weather is expected to change quickly. Hence, the groundsmen are already on their toes covering the entire ground. It is expected to be a slow pitch with spinners getting assistance like it did in the last game played at the venue. However, if the batters get set, we can see some massive sixes being hit.
Will Toss Matter?
Though KKR chased down the target of 180 in the last game played at the Eden Gardens vs PBKS, batting first might be the way to go. It took a special effort from Rinku Singh and Andre Russell in the death overs to chase the score down. Spinners will dominate the proceedings with both teams having three of them to exploit the conditions. The team winning the toss is expected to bat first only if the weather doesn't change in the lead up to the match.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata - The Numbers Game
Basic IPL 2023 Stats
- Total matches: 5
- Matches won batting first: 3
- Matches won bowling first: 2
Average IPL 2023 Stats
- Average 1st Innings scores: 205
- Average 2nd Innings scores: 175
Score Stats for IPL 2023 matches
- Highest total recorded - 235/4 (20 Ov) by CSK vs KKR
- Highest score chased - 182/5 (20 Ov) by KKR vs PBKS
- Lowest score defended - 204/7 (20 Ov) by KKR vs RCB
Full Squads
Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Murugan Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldip Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Adam Zampa, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Obed McCoy, Trent Boult, Navdeep Saini, Akash Vasisht, KC Cariappa, KM Asif, Kuldeep Sen, Donavon Ferreira, Abdul Basith, Kunal Singh Rathore
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jason Roy, Anukul Roy, N Jagadeesan, Lockie Ferguson, Kulwant Khejroliya, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Johnson Charles, David Wiese, Aarya Desai
