IPL 6: Match 47 - KKR vs RR - Rajasthan Royals Preview

47th MATCH: KKR vs RR

DATE: 5th May, 2013

TIME: 8:00 PM (IST)

VENUE: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

More than halfway into the season, Rajasthan Royals are in contention for a birth in the play-offs. With more than satisfying performances at home till now, the team now has to come good in the outstation games all well. Rahul Dravid’s team has prospered through a combined effort with every player contributing. The batting unit has a good mix of both the hard-hitters and conventional stroke-makers. The positive for the team is its top three batsmen, who can mould their game as per the demands of the situation. Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson are the pillars of the Rajasthan Royals and Brad Hodge is the backbone of the batting order; wicketkeeper Dishyant Yagnik and young Sanju Samson have been up to the challenge their skipper has asked them to take up.

Rarely a team has more than one genuine all-rounder, and RR is blessed with three. Shane Watson, Stuart Binny and James Faulkner give space to Dravid to pick up an extra spinner or add a batsman to the side according to the strength of the opposition. An example of this we saw in RR’s game against RCB, when Dravid picked up Owais Shah in place of Kevon Cooper.

The bowling is not as good as their batting and has a tendency to wilt under pressure in the away games, especially in the death overs. The match against CSK in Chennai is a case in point, where RR lost the match in the death overs. Even the most economic bowlers, Cooper and Faulkner, have been whacked for runs. Ajith Chandila is another parsimonious wicket taker bowler at home, who has failed to stem the flow of runs in the away games.

Taking on badgered KKR at Eden Gardens gives RR a good chance to take the former down a peg and improve its record as a visitor. Having already confronted them at home, Royals will do well to make the most of the uncertainties that the star studded Kolkata Knight Riders have been beset by. No doubt it is a clash between two teams on the different side of the spectrum; with RR third from the top and KKR on third from the bottom in the points table.

Aces who might win it for RR:

James Faulkner - He is one of the contenders for the Purple Cap. With sixteen wickets to his name, he has also done well in checking the flow of runs. Given his figures in the last game against RCB, it would be interesting to see how he improves upon his performance, bowling in the death overs to take his team home.

Sanju Samson - This colt’s name trended on twitter for playing a bold knock of 63 off 53 balls, etching his name as the youngest player to score an IPL 50. He withstood the pressure well in the last game and delivered. Now he will be under additional pressure of expectations to perform. Given Dravid’s out of the box captaincy, it is a possibility that Samson will have a new place to bat in and show his utility.

Shane Watson - He is in tremendous form. It will be hard for the team from Kolkata to stop this juggernaut. Watson has a strike rate of 150.96 and is scoring at an average of 52.33. His effective bowling makes him Dravid’s go-to-man. With the ability to manoeuvre his game according to the situation and the partner at the other hand, his performance will have a huge bearing on the game.

Prediction:

If Rahul Dravid wins the toss, he should bowl first. On a slow pitch of Kolkata, the average score is around 140, something that will not be a difficult ask for the Royals to chase given their in-form batting line-up and their successful chases. Royals have been good at both defending and chasing, so even in case Dravid loses toss, bat first or second, RR have the ability to breach the KKR fort at the Eden Gardens. In all probability, Dravid will bring in an extra spinner to exploit the slow surface at the Eden Gardens.