IPL 6: Rajasthan Royals eye full points in KKR's last league match at Eden Gardens

Rajasthan Royals will aim for full points when they visit the city of joy for their match against KKR on Friday evening. Rajasthan Royals are currently placed 3rd in the IPL points table with 6 wins from 9 matches. They will play a deflated KKR side that is in the 7th spot at present. The defending champions have lost their last two matches and have managed to secure only 6 points out of their 10 matches, losing on 7 occasions and winning only 3. On the other hand, in the top half of the table, Rajasthan Royals are in a much better position to qualify for the play-off’s.

Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last match, where captain Rahul Dravid promoted youngster Sanju Samson after the first wicket fell and he led Rajasthan to a thrilling 4-wicket win with a ball to spare. Rajasthan Royals are hoping that their star performer Shane Watson will make a huge contribution for them in both batting and bowling. James Faulkner has also been impressive in this IPL along with Kevon Copper. James Faulkner has taken 16 wickets and is currently the second leading wicket taker in the tournament behind Dwayne Bravo who has the Purple Cap with 19 wickets. Shane Watson has scored a century this year and is likely to play a big role in the upcoming matches. Rajasthan Royals have won 6 matches out of their 11 matches against KKR. They would like to add another win in their tally at the Eden Gardens in front of 60,000 odd fans.

KKR, the defending champions are a much better team on paper than their results suggest. The lack of form of their strike players has been a big issue. Yusuf Pathan, from whom everyone expected match winning innings, has put a flop show in this year’s IPL. The chances of KKR progressing to the qualifiers are narrow, they have to win every match from now on for a possibility to finish in the top four. They have played well at their home ground though as the 3 matches they have won so far, were all at Eden Gardens. The fans have supported them and have come in huge numbers in all the home matches this year. They would like to take full advantage of the home match on Friday and grasp a win to get back in the tournament. Captain Gautam Gambhir had previously told that that he was concerned about the team’s form. In the last match, KKR lost to the Delhi Daredevils who were below them in the points table.

The match is important for both the teams. While Rajasthan are trying to confirm their chances to qualify for the play-off, KKR are looking forward to make a comeback in the competition. Friday’s match will be the last home match for KKR in group stage as the last two home matches of KKR will be played in the newly built stadium in Ranchi. The passionate fans of Kolkata would be expecting a good performance from their team against Rajasthan. Rajasthan Royals have won only one match at the Eden Gardens, which was back in 2008, in the first edition of the IPL. A tough challenge awaits for both teams.