3 player battles to watch out for in RR vs KKR, Match 70 of IPL 2024 ft. Sanju Samson vs Sunil Narine
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will host the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final league game of IPL 2024 with a bid to end their four-match losing streak on Sunday, May 19. Sanju Samson and his men have a lot at stake.
The Royals will have to beat the Knight Riders to ensure a top-two spot if the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the afternoon game on the same day. The last time RR met KKR, a sensational hundred from Jos Buttler stole victory from the jaws of defeat for the visitors at the Eden Gardens.
However, with the star England batter having returned home for national duty and the opposition also losing Phil Salt for the same reason, it will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the encounter change.
On that note, let's take a look at the three match-ups that could prove to be crucial in determining the winner of the contest.
#3 Andre Russell vs Sandeep Sharma
Explosive all-rounder Andre Russell has enjoyed quite an impactful season with both bat and ball and the Royals will know that they need to keep him in check to control the game. Russell could be dangerous at the death and RR will probably need Sandeep Sharma to bring his A-game to the table.
The pacer has been underrated in the tournament so far with 10 wickets from eight matches at an economy rate of 7.93. He has been difficult to put away at the death because of his variations and that certainly could prove to be a challenge for Russell. He has scored just 11 runs in the 12 balls he has faced from Sandeep.
#2 Sunil Narine vs Trent Boult
Sunil Narine has great memories of facing RR as he smashed his maiden IPL hundred when the two teams met in the reverse fixture at Eden Gardens. The Royals must have some plans in place this time around, but they also have a positive match-up in Trent Boult.
Boult has bowled 19 deliveries to Narine in the IPL and has conceded 26 runs, dismissing the southpaw three times. For KKR's sake, they will hope that Narine sticks around and scores big, especially after having lost Phil Salt for the rest of the tournament.
#1 Sanju Samson vs Sunil Narine
The Rajasthan Royals have struggled with the bat of late and they need their skipper Sanju Samson to stand tall and play a big innings against KKR. While Samson may enjoy the pace on the ball, he has a negative match-up with Sunil Narine that Kolkata can exploit.
Samson has faced 82 balls from Narine in T20 cricket and has scored just 66 runs. Moreover, Narine has dismissed the right-hander thrice and will be brimming with confidence after his impact with the bat. This could probably be the biggest match-up that decides the game.