History
Rajasthan Royals were the inaugural winners of the IPL, back in 2008. However, they have consistently struggled ever since. Kolkata Knight Riders have won the IPL title twice, and are one of the most unpredictable teams in the league. These two teams have met each other 22 times, and KKR have won 11 matches, while RR have won 10, with one match being abandoned However, KKR have a much better record of late, winning 5 of their previous 6 clashes. They also won their previous match against RR earlier this season comfortably.
Team News
Rajasthan Royals started IPL 2020 with a bang, winning their first 2 matches in dramatic fashion, scoring over 400 runs in the process. Their top order has been fairly consistent while Jofra Archer has been absolutely brilliant with the bat as well as ball.
The return of Ben Stokes will make them an even more formidable unit. They had lost 4 matches in a row, but came back brilliantly against SRH to move up to 6th in the table. However, another damaging defeat to table-toppers DC put them back in 7th place. RCB beat them convincingly recently, however they came back strongly against CSK to move up to 6th in the table. Things soured again though, with a one-sided defeat against SRH as they dropped to 7th again. They have beaten MI and KXIP in their last 2 matches in impressive fashion.
KKR had a nightmare start to the tournament in contrast, being thrashed by Mumbai Indians in their opening game. However, they bounced back very well with impressive victories over Rajasthan Royals Sunrisers. Shubman Gill is back to top form now, but the most encouraging aspect of KKR currently is the brilliant form of their young Indian bowlers- Nagarkoti, Mavi and Varun, which makes them a very balanced side going ahead in the tournament.
They won their next game against Chennai with a narrow margin after a spirited bowling performance. KKR then clinched a thriller against KXIP by just 2 runs, as captain Dinesh Karthik finally produced the goods to take his team home. However, KKR were hammered by 82 runs against RCB, and followed that up with another crushing defeat against Mumbai Indians. In true unpredictable fashion, they bounced back straight away with an assured display against SRH in the following match to win their 5th match this season.
However, they followed that up with their worst performance of the season as they could manage to score just 84 runs against RCB in a shattering defeat. They bounced straight back with a very impressive victory over high-flying Delhi Capitals, before losing in a one-sided match against in-form KXIP.
Betting Preview, Picks And Prediction
To Win The Match
RR are the favourites to win the match with odds of 1.85 as per LeoVegas, which is not surprising as they are in great form of late, with back to back impressive victories over MI and KXIP, the 2 most in-form teams in the tournament. KKR are 1.95 to win this one, and have been in poor form of late.
Top Team Batsman
Youngster Shubman Gill is again the favourite to be KKR’s top scorer in this match, as he is widely considered to be their most consistent batsman and played a brilliant innings in a couple of matches, and has odds of 3.75 England captain Morgan and fellow middle-order batsman Nitish Rana both have odds of 4.50.
Jos Buttler is still the favourite to be their top batsman in this match with odds of 3.75. He was their top scorer as they succumbed to a disappointing defeat to MI. His opening partner Sanju Samson has odds of 4.50, while the dependable Steve Smith also has odds of 4.50. A century in the last match by Ben Stokes has made him the second-favourite at 4.00, as per LeoVegas
Highest Opening Partnership
RR are favourites at 1.80 to have the highest opening partnership as Stokes and Uthappa have started to form a prolific partnership up top, and are in form as well. KKR have struggled with their opening partnerships of late.
Top Team Bowler
The most expensive purchase at this season’s auction, Pat Cummins is the favourite to be the top bowler from KKR at 4.00, followed by Lockie Ferguson at 3.75 and Sunil Narine at 4.50.
On the other hand, Jofra Archer is the favourite to be the top bowler from RR at 3.00, followed by all-rounder Tom Curran at 4.33 and leggie Shreyas Gopal at 4.50.
Total Runs In The Match
Odds of there being more than 328.5 runs in this match are 1.66, as per LeoVegas. This seems highly achievable as both these teams have some brilliant batsmen and have scored plenty of runs this season..
Individual Player Betting
- Nitish Rana to score more than 26.5 runs also has odds of 1.87, which is also a tempting bet as he would like to continue his current form. Buttler to score more than 23.5 runs also has odds of 1.87, which is also a tempting bet as he would like improve his current form.
- RR to hit the most sixes depends heavily on Stokes, Buttler and Tewatia, and the odds are 2.00. KKR to hit the most sixes has odds of 2.15, which is understandable as they have Morgan and Rana, who prefer the aerial route more often than not.
- Cummins to take 2 or more wickets has odds of 2.50, while Archer to take 2 or more wickets has odds of 2.00, which is attractive as he is in form.
Our Top Betting Picks
- RR to win the match @1.85
- RR to hit the most sixes @2.00
- RR to have the Highest Opening Partnership @1.80
- Archer to take 2 or more wickets @2.00
