Indian T20 League 2023 

Match 56: KOL vs RAJ 

Preview 

Kolkata (KOL) and Rajasthan (RAJ) will lock horns in match number 56 of the Indian T20 League 2023 at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, May 11. Both teams have played 11 games so far and have registered 5 wins and 6 losses. While KOL are positioned at sixth in the league standings, RAJ are placed a rung above at fourth. 

After starting their campaign on a dismal note, KOL is slowly but surely starting to gain momentum. They have won their last two games against Hyderabad and Gujarat respectively. However, despite the consecutive wins, Rana and co have struggled as a batting unit. The top order in particular has looked jaded and out of sorts. The opening pair of Jason Roy and Rahmaullah Gurbaz have done well in patches but have failed to maintain consistency. Venkatesh Iyer at three has blown hot and cold this season. Ever since, Iyer smashed that ton against Mumbai, he hasn’t done enough. Rinku Singh has flourished in the finishers’ role and Andre Russel has shown a glimpse of his vintage self in the last few games. As far as KOL’s bowling is concerned, the two time champions have done well. Young speedsters Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana have shown promise. The spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Suyash Sharma and Sunil Narine have been instrumental in KOL’s turnaround so far.  While Chakravarthy and Suyash have been amongst the wickets, Narine has been ineffective and is yet to fire. 

Rajasthan has had a start stop season so far. They were once comfortably sitting at the top of the points table but back to back losses against Gujarat and Hyderabad has put them in a tight spot. Their openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler have been critical for their success, and have helped them post formidable totals while batting. Middle order comprises the services of Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmeyer. While the former has played a few innings of substance, the latter is yet to set the stage on fire. Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeeep Sharma and Ravindra Ashwin will be the bowlers to watch out for. Ahead of the crucial tie, let us have a look at how the two sides fare out on Thursday. 

Match Details

Match: KOL vs RAJ, 56th Match, Indian T20 League 2023

Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Pitch and Weather Report

The Eden Gardens surface assists the batters, and one can expect a high scoring game at this venue. However, spinners will play a pivotal role towards the latter hal;f of the match. The captain winning the toss should elect to field first

Clear skies with a night temperature of around 28-29 degree celsius with no prospect of rain.  

KOL vs RAJ Squads

KOL: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jason Roy, Anukul Roy, N Jagadeesan, Lockie Ferguson, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mandeep Singh, Tim Southee, David Wiese, Umesh Yadav, Aarya Desai

RAJ: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Murugan Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldip Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, Riyan Parag, KM Asif, Jason Holder, Navdeep Saini, Akash Vasisht, KC Cariappa, Obed McCoy, Kuldeep Sen, Donavon Ferreira, Abdul Basith, Kunal Singh Rathore

KOL vs RAJ Probable Playing XIs

KOL: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy

RAJ: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal

Match Prediction

We’ve a cracking contest on our hands. While KOL will look to carry the winning momentum, RAJ will be eager to secure the two points, move up the league standings and keep their playoff hopes alive. The hosts have a decent record at home and will be keen to keep it that way. We predict KOL to emerge victorious. 

Top Fantasy Picks

Nitish Rana: The KOL skipper is coming into this match on the back of a powerful 51 run knock. He is timing the ball sweetly and we fancy him to replicate last game’s success. 

Andre Russell: He is not in the best of forms lately, but has still been a hot pick this season. In the previous outing against PUN, Russel played a quickfire 51 to power his side to a miraculous win. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal: The opening batter is enjoying an extraordinary campaign. With over 477 runs, he is amongst the leading run scorers this season. 

Yuzvendra Chahal: He has been quite lethal with the ball thus far in the season, getting big breakthroughs during crucial junctures of the game. With 17 scalps in 11 innings, the spin wizard is 6th highest wicket taker this season. 

Risky Captaincy Choice

Ravichandran Ashwin is our pick for this segment. He has a knack of picking wickets with ball in hand and is an extremely handy batter down the order. 

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket



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