KKR vs RR: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI Against Rajasthan Royals (RR)- IPL 2021 Match 54

KKR vs RR: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI Against Rajasthan Royals (RR)- IPL 2021 Match 54. Kolkata Knight Riders will be playing their last league stage match against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. After enduring a torrid run in the first half of the tournament, KKR made a sensational turnaround in UAE.

They have played 6 matches in the second leg of the tournament and managed to win 4 out of them. Kolkata have one game left and need to win that by a big margin to make a top-four finish.

Despite missing the services of Andre Russell and Lockie Ferguson, KKR would be confident of beating RR in the next game. They are coming into the game on the back of an impressive 6-wicket win over SRH. Here’s a look at KKR’s predicted playing XI for the game on Thursday.

KKR vs RR: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted Playing XI Against Rajasthan Royals (RR)- IPL 2021 Match 54

Openers: Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer had a forgettable outing in the last game with the bat but Shubman Gill was superb during his stay at the crease. In pursuit of a 115-run total, Gill blazed his way to a match-winning 57 off 51 deliveries, a knock that was laced with as many as 10 fours.

His knock ensured KKR earn two more points and stay in contention of reaching the playoffs.

Middle-Order: Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan

Rahul Tripathi has shown great consistency at number three in the second leg of the tournament. Not only he has been consistent but he has scored runs at a great strike rate. Tripathi got out early in the last game but one could expect an impactful knock from him in the next game.

Nitish Rana too has been amongst the runs. He has played a few impactful knocks in the second half and the team would expect him to continue his good run.

Dinesh Karthik came ahead of Eoin Morgan in the last game and played a vital 12-ball 18-run cameo. With Morgan not in the best of form, Karthik might bat in the same position in the next game as well.

All-rounders: Shakib Al-Hasan and Sunil Narine

Shakib Al-Hasan replaced Tim Siefert in the last game and he showed everyone why he should have played ahead of Siefert in the first place. The Bangladeshi all-rounder bowled at great areas and kept it tight from one.

Sunil Narine too was brilliant with the ball as he conceded only 12 runs in his quota of four overs. On a slow track in Sharjah, the duo’s presence is, once again, going to be vital for KKR in an important game on Thursday.

Bowlers: Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee and Varun Chakravarthy

Shivam Mavi and Tim Southee complimented each other beautifully in the last game. There was some swing early on and Tim Southee made good use of that. Mavi bowled the hard lengths and got the rewards as well.

The duo combined to pick four wickets for 55 runs in 8 overs. The duo should start the proceedings for KKR in the next game.