Top five player battles to watch out for in RR vs KKR match No. 70 in IPL 2024

Last league match of the IPL 2024, RR vs KKR, will be played on Sunday in Guwahati.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been the best teams of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, and they became the first team to qualify for the playoffs. They are at the top of the table and will face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their last group match.

This game will take place on Sunday at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. KKR will be without Phil Salt, who has been a solid batter for them. Meanwhile, RR are coming off four consecutive losses and will be without Jos Buttler. So both teams have things to figure out before heading into the playoffs.

RR vs KKR: Head-to-Head

RR and KKR have faced each other 29 times in total in the IPL. Both teams have registered 14 games each, while one game was called off due to rain. RR won the last game between the two earlier this season.

RR vs KKR: Top five player battles to watch out for

1. Sanju Samson vs Sunil Narine

Sanju Samson has been the best batter for the Rajasthan Royals, and as a captain, he is leading the team from the front. He has scored runs in crucial games and won his team some matches. Without Buttler, he will look to take more responsibility at the top. But can he score against Narine, who has troubled him a lot? Well, only time will tell. Samson hasn’t got going against Narine. Samson has only scored 66 runs off 82 balls from Narine at a low strike rate of 80.5 and got out three times.

2. Riyan Parag vs Varun Chakravarthy

Riyan Parag has had a memorable season and has scored over 500 runs, becoming the third uncapped player to score over 500 runs in an IPL season. He even scored a 14-ball 34 last time when he played against KKR. He bats in the middle overs when Varun Chakravarthy operates. So this will be a great battle to watch out for in the game. Parag holds the batting together for RR, and Varun is in good form this season.

3. Sunil Narine vs Trent Boult

Sunil Narine will be a threat not only with the ball but also with the bat. Despite Phil Salt not playing, Narine is likely to continue his approach and go after the opposition bowling. But he will be up against one of the best bowlers in the world, Trent Boult. These two have faced each other many times in the IPL. Narine has scored 26 runs off 19 balls from Boult, but has been dismissed three times.

4. Andre Russell vs Ravichandran Ashwin

Andre Russell will be a big player in the game in both departments. But with the bat, he is extremely dangerous. He can smash some really big sixes, and the stadium in Guwahati is not big enough for him. Russell has had his moments this season where he has played some brilliant cameos. But RR have a good bowling attack. Especially Ravi Ashwin, who has pretty good record against him. Ashwin has dismissed Russell two times in 11 balls in the IPL and is a very smart operator.

5. Shreyas Iyer vs Sandeep Sharma

Shreyas Iyer is likely to get more time to bat as Salt is not available. Iyer has also done a good job with the bat and scored crucial runs when the top order has failed. Hence, he will look to go into the playoffs with a good innings under his belt. But he will have to face Sandeep Sharma, who has troubled him in the IPL. With a strike rate of 83.9, Iyer has scored 47 runs off 56 balls against Sandeep with 27 dot balls, whereas the pacer has dismissed the KKR captain three times.

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