Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders Betting Tips
Kolkata Knight Riders will be desperate to end their three-match losing streak when they take on Rajasthan Royals in the 18th match of the 2021 Indian Premier League at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
Two-time Champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking for a revival of fortunes in the tournament. The franchise has suffered from inconsistency with the bat and ball this season. The team management will need to change their game plans to be competitive in this contest.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals is suffering from a terminal decline this season and once again succumbed to their third defeat of the competition against RCB. Captain Eoin Morgan will need to lead from the front and inspire Kolkata to bring their best cricket to the fore in this game.
Kolkata Knight Riders Form and Team News
Lack of runs from the top-order has been Kolkata’s main problem so far this season. The repeated failures of their top-order, especially Rahul Tripathi and Eoin Morgan will be a cause of concern for KKR’s team management.
Karun Nair could replace Rahul Tripathi, who hasn’t done much with the bat in the previous three matches.
Pressure will be on the opener Shubnam Gill, who once again perished for a first-ball duck. His partner, Nitish Rana also failed to make an impression with the bat against Chennai.
Captain Eoin Morgan will need to lead from the front and put in a notable score for Kolkata in this must-win game.
In the batting department, the onus will be on the likes of Shubnam Gill, Nitish Rana, and Eoin Morgan to get the side off to a solid start.
After reeling 31 for 5, lower-order showed a lot of fight as Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell led the fightback for Kolkata with an 81-run partnership.
All-rounder Andre Russell put in an excellent performance with the bat for Kolkata. He scored a breathtaking half-century off 22 balls with the help of three fours and six sixes. He was well supported by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who chipped in with a fluent 40 off 24 balls with the help of four fours and two sixes.
Tail-ender Pat Cummins delivered his best batting performance in the Indian Premier League. He smashed 66 not out off 34 balls to help Kolkata take the game down to the wire.
In the bowling department, the side will be relying on the likes of Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy to deliver crucial breakthroughs in this contest.
Rajasthan Royals Form and Team News
The franchise will have to raise their overall game in a bid to end their two-match losing streak in the tournament.
Wicket-keeper Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, and David Miller perished for low scores in the game played against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Captain Sanju Samson failed to capitalize on his good start and perished in the seventh over after scoring 21 runs off 18 balls with the help of two fours and one six.
In the batting department, the side will be relying heavily on the top-order trio of Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, and Sanju Samson to get the side off to a good start.
The middle-order trio of Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, and Rahul Tewatia put in excellent performances to help Rajasthan post 177 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
All-rounder Shivam Dube scored 46 runs off 32 balls with the help of five boundaries and two sixes, whereas Rahul Tewatia delivered excellent innings of 40 runs off 23 balls with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.
Besides Dube and Tewatia, Riyan Parag also chipped in with a crucial cameo of 25 runs off 16 balls with the help of four boundaries.
In the bowling department, the side will be looking towards the likes of Chetan Sakariya, Chris Morris, and Rahul Tewatia to make crucial breakthroughs in this contest.
Odds by Casumo
According to the Casumo sportsbook, Kolkata Knight Riders will be favorites to win the 18th game of the Indian Premier League to be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. For the 18th IPL game, Kolkata Knight Riders are placed at 1.78 odds, while Rajasthan Royals are placed at 1.98 odds.
Our Tipster’s Angle
Both the teams are currently lying in the bottom half of the league table with two points to their name.
With the likes of Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, and Pat Cummins showing an excellent fight for Kolkata, the side will be looking to end their poor form at Wankhede.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals will be hoping that premier players like Jos Buttler can produce something special with the bat against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Therefore, the prediction is for Kolkata Knight Riders to eke out a close win over Rajasthan Royals.
Tip 1: Kolkata’s formidable head-to-head record against Rajasthan
Since 2018 IPL, Kolkata will take heart from the fact that they have notched up six wins out of seven matches played against Rajasthan Royals.
Despite another poor start to the season, Kolkata will see this game as an opportunity to turn their fortunes in the competition.
Given their dominant record in the last couple of years, we are expecting Kolkata to register a comfortable win over [email protected].
Tip 2: Eoin Morgan to lead the way for Kolkata with the bat
After losing three consecutive matches in the tournament, the pressure will be on Eoin Morgan and co. to put in an improved performance against Rajasthan Royals.
Captain Eoin Morgan will be looking to dig deep and eke out a notable score in this game. With 45 runs in four innings, Morgan will be keen to deliver a strong statement with the bat against Rajasthan Royals.
He will take heart from the fact that he has put in impressive numbers against Rajasthan. In six matches played against Rajasthan, he has accumulated 153 runs at a strike rate of 159.38 with two half-centuries to his name.
Given his match-winning ability with the bat, we expect Eoin Morgan to score 30 runs or more in this [email protected]
Conclusion
Expect Kolkata Knight Riders to beat Rajasthan Royals by a close margin.
- Kolkata to register a comfortable win over Rajasthan – Kolkata Knight [email protected]
- Eoin Morgan to score 30 runs or more in this contest- Kolkata Knight [email protected]
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Sports: All odds are subject to change
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