IPL 8 KKR vs RR Preview: RR-KKR in must win duel
KKR are still not sure of a play-off berth and face a must win battle against RR. (Source: BCCI)
Kolkata Knight Riders
What went right: Yusuf Pathan was superb until the last over, almost winning the game on his own. His serenity stood out. In the past, he has been guilty of combusting at the wrong time but he has been reliable this season. At 44.66, he heads the averages among the Kolkata batsmen. In the bowling, KKR would be happy with the way Morkel and Shakib Al Hasan performed. Morkel got considerable bounce from the Wankhede track and at one stage, he had a short leg and slips for Pollard.
What went wrong: Andre Russell has had a impressive season but he proved expensive in the end overs, allowing Mumbai to score 171. He gave away 17 runs in the 19th over to finish with figures of 4-0-37-0.
Rajasthan Royals
What went right: Chris Morris picked up three wickets for 19 runs in his four overs. He set up Suresh Raina with couple of bouncers before getting him with a fuller one which was driven to mid-off. He returned to dismiss McCullum in the 18th over with another bouncer and took out Pawan Negi off the next ball.
What went wrong: They were chasing 158 against CSK but no batsman reached 30. And they had this inexplicable problem against Jadeja’s left-arm spin. He gave away just 11 runs from 4 overs and also picked up four wickets. Steve Smith lost his leg stump, trying to sweep, Watson fell to a blinder of a catch by Dwayne Bravo, leaping near the long-off boundary, Karun Nair top edged a sweep to short fine-leg and Hooda hit a full toss straight to long-on.
Conclusion
Rajasthan have lost momentum in the second half of the tournament and there is a lack of depth in their bowling which might prove the difference in the end considering Kolkata bat pretty deep.
Source:: Indian Express