As every IPL team has played two to three games now, this IPL 2020 is now stepping into a zone where the players have got warmed up and charged up. The competition is getting heavy with some exposure for the players in the middle of the field.
At this crucial time, every single match is going to be counting. The results of every match do matter as the early victories in the IPL tournament have become a mantra for most of the teams in the past.
As 11 matches have been played in IPL 2020, RR and KKR are going to make a tough clash that would allow us to witness what these two top-class teams could do to adapt to the new venue, Dubai.
Without getting into so much build-up, let’s get into predictions for the Match No.12 of IPL 2020: KKR vs RR.
Prediction on the top run-scorer
Steve Smith made a great contribution in the last match. It has always been the story that, once he finds the form in this top order slot, he can become an effective accumulator of runs for his team. Now with two decent games in a row, the Australian skipper looks dangerous for the opponent teams. One more important thing is the venue for this match. Since Dubai is bigger than the other two venues of this IPL, the Rajasthan players would need to focus on the dimension of the ground, except the man whose home grounds are even bigger than Dubai, Steve Smith. The Aussie skipper knows how to score in the bigger ground. He might use his good running technique in the right way to be productive in the middle overs.
Eoin Morgan, the skipper of the English team, was searching for the right timing with his bat in UAE conditions. As he has got to spend some quality time in the middle in the last match against SRH, he might be ready to roar with his unorthodox fashion.
Prediction on top wicket-taker
Rajasthan bowlers haven’t been good in their first two matches they played. A most important thing to note is that the two matches were held at Sharjah, where it is too difficult for bowlers to defend as the ground is too small. So Rajasthan bowlers are going to have some favourable condition here in Dubai as the straighter V regions are bigger. So, the spinners might find a roll in this Dubai ground. Speaking of spinners in Rajasthan, Shreyas Gopal who is extremely talented and got the habit of scalping; the main wicket will be a key for this clash against Kolkata Knight Riders. The Karnataka wrist spinner has got quality leg breaks along with haunting googlies. So this wristy would be risky for the KKR batters in Dubai.
From Kolkata, Shivam Mavi has been pretty good at restricting the runs, both with the new ball and in death overs. Since RR is found to have more aggressive batters, they will have chances to lose their wickets if they try to take the lead over this young Indian pacer, which is right with the equation to stop the batters.
Prediction on Who will win the match?
Since both the sides are new for this venue, this can be anyone’s game. To be simple and short, the team which adapts to the condition so early would grab the victory. But still, we need predictions. Based on the team’s strength and current form, Rajasthan Royals has the upper hand. Their batting department is creating some different classes of batting. They are setting the demands higher. But bowling is worrying. They cannot win matches without picking wickets.
Coming to KKR, they are slowly getting on track. They might need one or two matches to make themselves comfortable. The batting order is slightly missing the steam. They need some more push in the start. And also, their go-to man Andre Russell needs to find good touch with the hitting. He isn’t timing well, and KKR management would be eagerly looking for the day to come so early in the long tournament.
Prediction on the most six-hitting batter:
Andre Russell is a sure shot pick for this. Russell is a great athlete with natural flexibility a batsman should have. Sending the ball out of the park is his primary mission. And that’s what helped him to hit huge sixes. The Typical Jamaican is fit both physically and mentally. Indeed, he is very good at handling the pressure situation. If a bowler bowls it in his arc, then there is no use of thinking of it. Russell has a powerful bat flow that can even send the greatest of the restricting deliveries beyond the boundary. With two leg spinners of RR side are not so internationally exposed, Russell might try to taste success over them. Jofra Archer might be a barricade for Russell. Albeit, if Russell gets on a roll, then there would be no bowler to stop him.
The competitor for Andre Russell would be the superstar from Kerala, Sanju Samson. He is currently in the form of his life. Six hittings seem like a habit for him. Even though Sharjah ground was smaller, this Indian bloke was hitting the balls out of the park. That attitude pushes him to be on this list.
Prediction on Man of the match:
Steve Smith looks fine with the bat. He is using his footwork to the utmost level for making use of the crease. He can move towards outside off stump to hit it over mid-wicket, and at the same time, he can shift even more down the leg to slice the ball over point fielder. The Aussie batter is having a terrific time with the bat, which puts him as the front runner for picking up this man of the match award.
Andre Russell is getting his quota of bowling, which is something the Jamaican would love to do. By bowling the middle overs, he has become one of the KKR bowlers to change the match around. You don’t need to have any explanation regarding his batting. The West Indian all-rounder is lethal when he walks in with the bat. He had been with his KKR whenever they needed him more. And now the situation has arrived again, where the Kolkata based team would be hoping for early wins to get the secured feel at the end of the season. This, in turn, urges Russell to provide his utmost contribution.
To sum up
Both the teams look good with the wins in their last match. But still, Rajasthan is balanced with all the departments. RR’s middle order was slightly weaker when they dropped David Miller for Jos Buttler, but the heroics of Rahul Tewatia has now created a huge control in the middle too. So, this match is clearly on the side of Rajasthan Royals.
