IPL 2020, KKR vs RR: 3 player battles to watch out for
With the IPL 2020 playoff hopes of both the teams still very much in the balance, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will go all out to register a victory in their final league encounter of IPL 2020 at Dubai on Sunday.
KKR, as well as RR, have 12 points from 13 games in IPL 2020, which means whichever team wins on Sunday will finish on 14 points. That alone cannot ensure qualification for the winning side though as multiple sides are set to finish with the same number of points. It could all come down to the net run-rate at the end of the day.
RR go into the IPL 2020 clash having registered wins over Mumbai and Punjab in their last two matches. KKR, in contrast, go in having lost to KXIP and CSK in the two recent encounters.
As KKR and RR look to stay alive in IPL 2020, here are three player battles to keep an eye on.
#1. Ben Stokes vs Pat Cummins
After a disappointing start to his IPL 2020 campaign, RR all-rounder Ben Stokes has finally come into his own in the last couple of matches. Against Mumbai Indians, he blasted an unbeaten 107 from 60 balls to make a mockery of a chase of 196.
It was the kind of performance RR had been expecting from Stokes all along. Against KXIP as well, Stokes hit a blistering 50 from only 26 balls. The England all-rounder will be raring to have a go at KKR now. Knowing the tough task at hand, a Stokes special will come in handy.
Like Stokes, Pat Cummins too has raised his game at just the right point of time. After failing to pick up too many wickets in the first half of IPL 2020, he now has five from his last three matches. While pace was never an issue with the Aussie fast bowler, he has now found his rhythm as well.
Against Delhi, he got the massive scalps of Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane (first ball), and versus CSK in the last match, he returned with impressive figures of 2 for 31. At the start of the innings, Cummins’ battle with Stokes will be critical. Whoever wins the battle, could put their team in a great position.
#2. Nitish Rana vs Jofra Archer
Ever since moving to the top of the batting order, Nitish Rana has been a completely different player for KKR in IPL 2020. He has opened the innings in the last three matches, and his scores have read 81, 0, and 87.
While his 81 from 53 against Delhi Capitals came in a winning cause, his 61-ball 87 could not prevent KKR’s defeat in their last match against Chennai Super Kings. With a lot at stake in the final IPL 2020 league match against RR, Rana would be keen to put up another sterling show at the top of the order.
The KKR batsman will be involved in a tense battle with RR paceman Jofra Archer at the start of the innings. Even as other Rajasthan bowlers have been inconsistent, Archer has stood out with 19 wickets in 13 IPL 2020 matches at a strike rate of 16.31 and an exceptional economy rate of 6.69.
The numbers prove how Archer has given away little while constantly picking up scalps. He should look to attack Rana with the short ball as the rising delivery has proved to be his undoing often. It remains to be seen how the in-form KKR batsman deals with the bouncer challenge.
#3. Sanju Samson vs Varun Chakravarthy
After a sizzling start followed by an extended lull, the talented Sanju Samson has rediscovered his form yet again in IPL 2020. His unbeaten 54 from 31 balls featuring three sixes proved to be the perfect foil to Stokes’ sensational hundred against Mumbai Indians as RR handed the defending champions an eight-wicket defeat.
In Rajasthan’s victory over Punjab as well, he played a significant hand with 48 from 25 balls, again with three sixes. Having found his form again, Samson will be keen to continue his good run.
For KKR, leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy is having a memorable IPL 2020. He has picked up 15 wickets from 13 games at a strike rate of 19.20 and an economy rate of exactly seven. While his five-for against Delhi sunk the latter, Chakravarthy held his own with 2 for 20 in the contest against CSK even as the team went down.
Chakravarthy got the massive scalps of Shane Watson and MS Dhoni. While Samson is exceedingly talented, he has the tendency to throw it away with some ungainly strokes. This is one weak spot in the wicket-keeper bat Chakravarthy can look to explore.