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THE TIMES OF INDIA | May 19, 2024, 17:16:43 IST
KKR vs RR IPL Live Score - Despite the forecast of rain through the weekend, there were only scattered showers here till Saturday evening. Fans in Guwahati will be hoping the rain stays for another day so they can come in numbers for Sunday’s clash between ‘hosts’ RR and toppers KKR. Although it’s an encounter between two top sides of the league, the game has certainly lost sheen as the Knights are already ensured of a top-of-table finish with 19 points from 13 games. As for Royals, they will know how much is at stake before taking the field in the last game of the league stage. The Sanju Samson-led team, which was poised to finish the league stage as the No. 1 side for most part of the season, has hit a roadblock with four consecutive defeats. Before going into the all-important playoffs, they will thus be desperate to snap the losing streak in front of a ‘home’ crowd, a sizeable part of which might show their allegiance to KKR because of the strong Bengali population here. The RR top order of Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Samson and home boy Riyan Parag have been on song this season, meaning the lower middle order has remained untested. They also haven’t scored more than 150 in their last four games. Add to this the departure of opener Buttler before the last match. Buttler’s replacement Tom Kohler-Cadmore, playing his first game of the season against PBKS, struggled to get going with a 23-ball 18. But it will be unrealistic to expect that he will step into Buttler’s shoes easily so late in the tournament. The Gautam Gambhir-mentored Knights, meanwhile, are reaping the benefits of playing as a unit. They will, however, have to fix their opening pair after Phil Salt’s departure for national duty. Afghan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz is likely to be the replacement, but he will get little time to hit top form. The Knights might be a little rusty, having not played for a week since the washout against Titans.
KKR vs RR Live Score: Gurbaz to get a game?
Rahmanullah Gurbaz will be a like-for-like replacement for Phil Salt but expecting him to make an impact like Salt straightway will be unrealistic. The Afghan wicketkeeper-batter, who played 11 matches in 2023, has not played any match this season and his last outing was way back on March 18 in a T20I versus Ireland.
KKR vs RR Live Score - No Salt for KKR
KKR have lost their in-form opener Phil Salt, their second leading rungetter this season as the Englishman is back home for the series against Pakistan in the build up to T20 World Cup next month. Salt and Sunil Narine, the two KKR openers, have scored 897 runs with seven fifties and one century between them at strike rate of 182-plus each. The duo's top form has been a key element in KKR's journey to their first playoffs since 2021.
KKR vs RR Live Score - Will KKR manage to hold on to the winning momentum?
Since their win in the return leg clash against Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens on May 11, KKR have not played any match with the washout in Ahmedabad. Travelling to Ahmedabad and then back home in Kolkata for a day's practice and again heading to Guwahati for the final league clash could be quite frustrating and break their rhythm of four-match winning streak. It remains to be seen if the Gautam Gambhir-mentored side manage to hold on to the winning momentum without appearing to be rusty.
KKR vs RR Live Score - KKR to finish on top
KKR (19 points), on the other hand, have already assured themselves a table top position after a washout against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad in the previous round handed them one point. They will be high on confidence but at the same time they may have to guard against complacency.
KKR vs RR Live Score - RR batters need to fire!
Royals' top three batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, skipper Sanju Samson and local hero Riyan Parag will have to shoulder additional responsibilities if they are to snap the losing streak and head to the playoffs finishing in top-two, that will give them two cracks to reach the final.
KKR vs RR Live Score - Big match for faltering Royals
Rajasthan Royals will be desperate to snap their four-match losing streak and finish in the top two as they meet table toppers Kolkata Knight Riders. Having secured the playoff berth with 16 points, Royals have started floundering at the business end of the tournament losing four matches on the trot. Their batting flair has eluded them as they have not managed to cross the 150-mark in their last two matches, and with their star England opener Jos Buttler returning home for national duty, the Royals have big shoes to fill.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Match 70 of IPL 2024 where Rajasthan Royals take on Kolkata Knight Riders.
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