Big picture
It was the last time in 2015, the year before his two-year suspension, that the Rajasthan Royals won their first three games in a season. Having started the 2020 season with two victories, including the most successful and record-breaking IPL chase on Sunday courtesy of Rahul Tewatia and Sanju Samson, they enter Wednesday’s clash with the opportunity to emulate this.
Having played their first two matches in Sharjah, where they scored 216 and 226, they will now play on a larger ground and perhaps a more challenging surface in Dubai. This could mean a slight recalibration of your plans. Your spinners will come into play a lot more and your hitters may not find getting across the line as easy as they have in Sharjah.
Royals, however, have concerns at their bowling alley even though Sharjah may not be an ideal barometer to base their performance on. Jaydev Unadkat, their top Indian pitcher, proved expensive in both of his outings. The tallest wickener in the Ranji Trophy season has yet to attack. He also did not complete his quota of overs against Kings XI Punjab. His possible replacement, Varun Aaron, has also been expensive in the past. They have two rookies in Kartik Tyagi and Akash Singh waiting on the bench. Should they call one of them on a bigger lot?
Meanwhile, Knight Riders recovered strongly after being beaten by the Mumbai Indians in their opening match. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Eoin Morgan, their finalist, stitched up a regulation chase. Shubman Gill, who they see as a future star, managed upfront together with Nitish Rana, another talent they have invested heavily in. Questions about Sunil Narine’s form and his effectiveness against the short ball continue, but the advantage to his irregular form is that he doesn’t eat too many balls in the power play.
However, the form of Kuldeep Yadav remains a real concern. The team’s strike bowler through 2018, Kuldeep averages one wicket for every 55 balls since IPL 2018. Last season, nine games produced just four wickets. In his second game, after running 39 runs in four terrainless overs, he did not even throw his full quota of overs.
Varun Chakravarthy, his second spinner, more in the Narine mold, helped him financially outperform the middlemen in his franchise debut. Over the years, the Knight Riders have had a reputation for backing their players, both Indian and foreign. Russell, who had to serve a doping ban for a year, and Narine, whose action had been under scrutiny on and off, are the best examples. Can Kuldeep return that faith?
In the news
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The royals are yet to have the services of Ben Stokes, who is with his family in New Zealand. However, he has started training and could return from compassionate leave in early October.
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For the past several seasons, Knight Riders have had to furiously seek replacements in the first half of the tournament due to injuries. This year, they seem determined to that count and have every player available to be selected.
Probably XI
Royals of Rajasthan: 1 Jos Buttler (week), 2 Steven Smith (captain), 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Riyan Parag, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Shreyas Gopal, 8 Tom Curran, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Ankit Rajpoot / Varun Aaron, 11 Jaydev Unadkat
Horsemen of the Kolkata Knights: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Shivam Mavi, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
Strategy points
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Sunil Narine has an excellent record against the Royals’ top three: Jos Buttler, Steven Smith and Sanju Samson. Narine has fired Samson three times and has ensured that he has only managed to score 87 of the 45 deliveries he has released. Smith, who has gone out to Narine twice, only attacks 115. Perhaps, there is a case for Narine to launch with the new ball, given the depth of the Knight Riders.
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Dinesh Karthik has opted to hit No. 3 in the first two games. Since IPL 2019, he has been fired three times by googlies, most for a hitter. He has also been in delivery in each of his two previous hits this season: lbw to Rahul Chahar and Rashid Khan, respectively. The Royals could perhaps look to attack him with Shreyas Gopal, who has an excellent googly, and Rahul Tewatia.
Statistics that matter
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Pat Cummins is two of the 100 T20 wickets.
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The last time these two teams played in the United Arab Emirates, the Royals beat Knight Riders in the limit count after the Super Over also ended in a draw. It was the second game tied between the two sides in IPL history. The first occurred in Cape Town in 2009, when Yusuf Pathan won the Super Over for the Royals.
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Buttler is averaging 57.2 as a starter since IPL 2018, third-best after David Warner and KL Rahul among all hitters with more than 200 runs. In the 16 innings he has opened, he has just fired five times within the powerplay. His strike rate of 160 in this period is second best in the IPL in this qualifying period.
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Before this season, Samson had managed just four half centuries in 27 IPL innings; his way out after strong starts to become a trend. So far he has managed 159 races, including two half a century in his first two starts. Will you be able to maintain your good shape?
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