IPL 2021: KKR look to knock RR out of playoff race, stay ahead of MI

The Kolkata
Knight Riders (KKR) will look to deliver a knockout blow to the Rajasthan
Royals’ (RR) chances of making the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs and confirm
their own qualification with a win when the two sides meet at Sharjah on Thursday.

Four sides –
KKR, RR, Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings – still are in contention for the fourth
and final playoff spot with one round of league matches to go for each side.
And the Eoin Morgan-led side are currently ahead in the race for the playoffs, currently
fourth in the table with 12 points and a better net run rate (NRR) than the
chasing pack.  

Also Read | IPL 2021 playoff qualification scenarios: MI eye big win, KKR favourites to qualify

However, defending
champions Mumbai are also on 12 points, with only net run rate separating the
two. The Rohit Sharma-led side play the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. Rajasthan
and Punjab are tied on 10 points each and will be looking to register big wins in
order to improve their NRR steal the final playoff spot.

Meanwhile, KKR’s
impressive turnaround in the UAE-continued with their 6-wicket win over SRH in
their last outing on Sunday. That win was their fourth out of six since the
restart as they shrugged off a sluggish start to the season to keep ahead in
the playoff race.

Also Read | IPL 2021: SRH’s Umran Malik bowls the fastest delivery of the tournament

Venkatesh
Iyer has emerged as the new batting star for the two-time champions, giving the
team a solid platform to build on with impressive starts at the top of the
order with the ever-impressive Shubman Gill.

Rahul
Tripathi and Nitish Rana have also been chipping in consistently after the
openers, while the form of skipper Eoin Morgan remains a concern for the side.

Also Read | RCB’s Harshal Patel sets record of most wickets by Indian bowler in an IPL season

Their
bowling attack is led by the mystery spin of Varun Chakravarthy, their leading
wicket-taker this season with 15, while Shivam Mavi and Tim Southee have been
effective replacements for Andre Russel and Lockie Ferguson’s pace.

For
Rajasthan, only a miracle can see them make the playoffs as they are
languishing in seventh on the table with 10 points. Apart from having to beat KKR
by a big margin, they will hope Mumbai and Punjab are thrashed in their respective
final games in order for them to have a chance to qualify.

Also Read | IPL 2021: SunRisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 4 runs

RR have
been hit hard by the form of their Indian batsmen. Barring Yashahvi Jaiswal
and, to some extent, skipper Sanju Samson, the team’s Indian batsmen lacked
intent, with the side missing English stars Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.

Jofra
Archer’s absence has cost their pace department, as RR’s bowling is a bit thin
on experience with Mustafizur Rahaman their most experienced overseas signing
and young Chetan Sakariya in the ranks.