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Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders 15th T20 Today Match Prediction 2018

April 18, 2018 1 Comment

Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders 15th T20 18th April Wednsday 2018. Who Will Win RR Vs KKR 15th T20 today match? today live match score.

45.6%

DRAW

KKR

54.4%

Tournament: Indian Premier League 2018
Date: 18 Apr, 2018
Format: T20
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, India
Time: 20:00

ABOUT THE MATCH

Both the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders are going into this match on the back of a brilliant batting performance in their last match. Rajasthan Royals outgunned a strong RCB lineup while KKR decimated the Delhi Daredevils. Both teams have witnessed a strong start to the tournament and will be keen to build on this foundation. With similar strengths and weaknesses for the teams, we have a feeling that they will fight till the end to crown a clear winner.

MATCH PREVIEW

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

The Royals are back on their home turf where they started off with a win against the Delhi Daredevils. That match was a rain-affected one and did not tell us too much but it looked like the Rajasthan Royals will get a flat batting deck to their linking for most of the matches.

The Royals have struggled with their opening combination in the matches so far. Darcy Short has either got run-out quickly or struggled to get the pace of the wickets. He is a player that can really make a huge difference in T20 cricket but needs to give himself that extra bit of time in the beginning.

Ajinkya Rahane has also been in the spotlight for having to score faster. The T20 game has evolved to such a point where teams now go hard at all kinds of bowling no matter the number of wickets lost. With the slowest strike rate of the top-7 batsmen in his team, Rahane is under pressure and he showed that in the last game by being ultra aggressive.

Rajasthan Royals needs its opening pair to find a balance and start scoring runs otherwise they could find themselves in trouble down the line.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, though, is Sanju Samson. He is the leading run scorer of the tournament so far and is absolutely crushing the ball. His 92 not out in the last match was flawless and showed an ability to start fast, keep the momentum through the innings, and then end with a flurry of sixes.

His will be the main wicket in this match. With players like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, and Rahul Tripathi to follow, this Rajasthan Royals batting lineup is very dangerous.

Their bowling is going to be a worry throughout the tournament especially when they do not have the buffer of a strong score set by their batsmen. Ben Laughlin has been very difficult to hit with his mix of slower deliveries and looks likely to pick most wickets.

We don’t think the Royals have a great set of spinners but they will definitely gain in confidence after a good performance last week.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS STARTING LINEUP

Starting lineup not yet available.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

KKR came in for a lot of flack after their defeat to SRH but they turned it around against the Delhi Daredevils. A slow start where Narine failed and Lynn struggled for timing was rectified by Uthappa, Rana, and Russell.

With the first over and the last over of their innings not going for any runs, KKR basically scored 200 from 18 overs with ease. A large part of their success comes down to the fact their batsmen were able to hit 15 sixes in their inning and ensured that the Delhi Daredevils were up against it at all times.

Can KKR repeat that same sort of batting performance against the Rajasthan Royals? We think so. The Rajasthan Royals do not have the strongest bowling attack and the pitch is expected to be full of runs.

We also think that Chris Lynn could be the person to watch out for. He seems to have struggled for his timing in the last two matches and is due for a big one. For a player that is regarded as one of the most fearsome hitters in the entire world at the moment time spent in the middle is crucial and it is just a matter of time before he comes into his own.

KKR also seems to have struck gold in picking Nitish Rana at the auction. He has been brilliant in almost every match that KKR has played this season and is showing signs of being one of the breakout stories of this IPL. Rana is being talked about as a potential replacement for Suresh Raina in the Indian team and all that will only motivate him to do better from here on in.

Dinesh Karthik is exuding new found confidence in his role as a finisher and Andre Russell is doing what he does best. Russell smashed 6 sixes in his first 11 deliveries in his last inning and has already won KKR two matches with his batting. His bowling is also back to his being fast and menacing.

The bowling lineup of Mavi, Curran, Kuldeep Yadav, Russell, and Chawla has the potential to be good or very expensive. Sunil Narine is the one bowler that you can count on being reliable. This is the area where Rajasthan Royals will feel they have a chance and this is where KR will have to be very careful.

We loved the pace and fire that Mavi showed in his first match. He is someone who should be persisted with for sure. He and Curran are a better fast bowling duo than when Mitchell Johnson is thrown into the mix.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS STARTING LINEUP

Starting lineup not yet available.

TOSS PREDICTION

The team winning the toss is likely to bat first

PITCH AND CONDITIONS

No rain has been forecast for this match and we should be able to get a full game in without any trouble. It will be interesting as to what the team tactics are since both teams have tasted success batting first in their recent matches.

The pitch is going to be flat and come on the bat nicely. This is probably the best time for the batsmen to make their mark on the tournament. Scores of around 170 should be considered par at the venue.

OUR PREDICTION

The Rajasthan Royals have only lost one match in their last five contests with KKR. One of those matches was abandoned due to rain and one was tied, though. Rajasthan also has the best home record for all teams in the IPL.

In this match, though, we are backing the red-hot KKR team to win because they seem to have more players that are at the top of their game.

Back the Kolkata Knight Riders to win.

OUR PREDICTION

Kolkata Knight Riders To Win the Match

Categories: Today Match Prediction

KXIP look to regain traction; CSK forced to cope with uncontrollables

April 15, 2018 0 Comment

KXIP will be wary of what happened in the previous game when things went went pear shaped in a matter of one over. © BCCI

A loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the previous game comes as a minor setback for Kings XI Punjab, who'll return to Mohali in the hope of restoring the brightness with which they began their Indian Premier League 2018 campaign. A disciplined performance with the ball and the quickest half-century in the IPL, by KL Rahul, helped them hit the straps straightaway in their opening game, at home, against Delhi Daredevils. But in the trip back from Bengaluru, they are carrying with them the added baggage of a loss - the primary reason for which was a below-par performance by the middle order - which they will be hoping to shed quickly and continue their journey forward. A victory in their next game would benefit KXIP's quest to forge a new identity, and also serve as a centrifugal signal that captain R Ashwin has left his Chennai Super Kings identity behind him.

Kings XI are up against a CSK team which is entering this contest on the back of two wins, albeit close ones at that, but is also feeling the weight of outside factors weighing it down. The non-availability of certain players due to varied reasons prompted a remark from skipper Dhoni, who said: "Every game one player is getting injured. By that calculation we will not have 14 players at the end of the league", soon after the match against Kolkata Knight Riders. Adding to an ever-growing list of uncontrollables, Super Kings also have to contend with the fact that they no longer can turn to the comforts of the Chepauk for the remainder of this season. But an away game in Mohali will keep their minds occupied for the immediate future.

What would give them confidence is that they pulled-off victories with a delivery to spare in two high-pressure matches, and did so by overcoming the odds that were stacked against them at different stages. Apart from riding on individual brilliance - Dawyne Bravo's all-round show against Mumbai Indians and Sam Billings's fiery knock against KKR - CSK also had experience of like Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu putting their hands up. The bowlers were under the pump in the previous game but that was on a track that offered them little and CSK would rather dwell on the better bowling performance against MI.

Meanwhile, KXIP will be banking on Rahul for yet another good start but they will also be wary of what happened in the previous game when things went went pear shaped in a matter of one over. A middle-order collapse would serve as a reality check for the Ashwin-led side. Apart from Rahul, the batting of Karun Nair and Ashwin himself emerged as positives for the team but these efforts did little to mitigate the damage that was done in between. Yuvraj Singh's form remains a concern for the team while Mayank Agarwal hasn't been able to replicate his tremendous domestic success. While it's too early in the season for KXIP to be happy with their combination, they would want their Indian batting investments to provide returns sooner than later.

Kings XI have been well-served by the spin duo of Ashwin and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who have picked up key wickets and have also helped in the containment bit. However, the 17-year-old from Afghanistan also received first-hand knowledge of how ruthless the IPL can be, with AB de Villiers's powerful hitting serving as a lesson. Andrew Tye and Axar Patel blew cold in the opening game but managed to make up with economical performances soon after, which holds the bowling department in good stead. They will, though, be worried about Mohit Sharma, who after going in excess of eight an over against Daredevils, ended up conceding 45 in the last game.

When: Sunday, April 15 at 8:00 PM IST

Where: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

What to expect: During the game against Daredevils, a slightly sluggish wicket was on offer which put impetus on capitalising on the new ball. However, that was a late afternoon game and it remains to be seen how the pitch behaves during the night, with the dew factor also likely to come into play.

Head to Head: KXIP 6 - 10 CSK; In Mohali - KXIP 1 - 3 CSK

Team news:

Kings XI Punjab: Having just completed the match against Royal Challengers, Saturday was a travel day for the Kings XI team and a three-hour flight from Bengaluru to Mohali might have kept the think-tank engaged in some 'hypothetical' deliberations. Will Yuvraj get a longer rope, especially with Manoj Tiwary in the waiting? Marcus Stoinis or David Miller? Would Aaron Finch be better off in the opening slot or how about bringing in Chris Gayle? Is Ankit Rajpoot an option in place of Mohit? While all these remain options, Kings XI may go in with an unchanged eleven for one more game before contemplating if there's a need for a different sketch.

Probable XI: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Chennai Super Kings: Kedar Jadhav is no longer available for CSK for the remainder of the season after having suffered a hamstring injury. Suresh Raina is set to miss the next game and maybe the one after that as well due to a calf injury. Faf du Plessis too is still on the road to recovery, while his South Africa teammate Lungi Ngidi has flown back to South Africa following the demise of his father. Meanwhile, they would be buoyed with the improved fitness levels of Murali Vijay, who might feature in the eleven as a replacement for Raina. Another option is Dhruv Shorey, who coach Stephen Fleming also spoke about. But the inclusion of either Vijay or Shorey would mean that Watson-Rayudu partnership, which has looked promising, might have to be dissolved for the moment. Yorkshire all-rounder David Willey, roped in as a replacement for Jadhav, has also joined the team but he's unlikely to be slotted in immediately.

Probable XI: Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c), Sam Billings, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur.

Interesting face-offs:

Rayudu vs Mohit: Mohit has dismissed Rayudu on five occasions, conceding 46 runs from the 37 balls he's bowled to him.

Harbhajan vs Karun: Karun has been dismissed by Harbhajan four times in 21 balls while managing only 20 runs.

Ashwin vs CSK openers: Ashwin has had contrasting fortunes against CSK's openers - he has dismissed Rayudu thrice in 34 balls while Watson has scored 44 off 30 balls without getting dismissed (since IPL 2013).

What they said:

"[Ambati] Rayudu has got experience all through the order. Someone like [Dhruv] Shorey and Murali Vijay are more suited to opening. But we've got to balance that in our final discussions - whether it's worth keeping that combination together. I think there is something going well in that combination but even if it is for a couple of games, it might be that we can make a change and then revisit that once Suresh Raina comes back," Stephen Fleming, CSK's coach, reckons a change in the batting order is on the cards.

Squads:

Kings XI Punjab: Mayank Agarwal, Mujeeb Zadran, Manzoor Dar, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, R Ashwin (c), Pardeep Sahu, Manoj Tiwary, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Andrew Tye, Akshdeep Nath, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran, Ankit Rajpoot, Mayank Dagar, Ben Dwarshuis, Axar Patel

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni(c), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Kanishk Seth, Lungisani Ngidi, Dhruv Shorey, Murali Vijay, Sam Billings, Mark Wood, Kshitiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, N Jagadeesan

Categories: cricbuzz News

Can't replace Raina; have to find a way to minimise his loss: Fleming

April 15, 2018 0 Comment

"This is an opportunity for someone else but you'd like to get someone like Suresh Raina back into your side as quick as possible." © BCCI

In sport, uncontrollables play a major role in determining the fortunes of an individual or team. Cricket is no stranger to that, nor is the Indian Premier League. Plenty of times in the IPL, teams have been without their key players - either for a few matches or an entire season - for a variety of reasons, or they've had to play at different venues. This year, it's Chennai Super Kings' turn to be hit by the bug. With two victories on the trot, the two-time former IPL champions have started their comeback season with a bang and while they would like the pattern to continue, certain factors are conspiring to pull them back in their march on return after their two-year hiatus.

Close on the heels of Kedar Jadhav being ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury, Suresh Raina picked up a calf problem that will likely keep him outof action for two matches. Even as Faf du Plessis was heading close to full fitness, recovering after a gruelling home season in South Africa, his teammate Lungi Ngidi had to fly back following the desmie of his father. Amidst injury concerns, CSK have also been denied the chance of making Chepauk their fortress, as was the case in their glory days, again. The security concerns in Chennai forced a shift in venue for CSK's remaining six home games, which they now will have to play in Pune - one that could hinder their plans given the team they picked during the auction, mostly based on conditions in Chennai.

"There's obviously been a lot going on," said CSK head coach Stephen Fleming on the eve of their game against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday (April 14). "I guess the positive is we've had two wins in two. They haven't been great performances, but they have been good character, scraping and fighting wins, which sometimes at the start of the tournament is more valuable. Yet, disappointed to be leaving Chennai. We sat in the auction to pick a team that was based on conditions and Chennai and we're disappointed that we only got one home game. We were pleased to have had that one home game, and had a win, but that was going to be a big part of our strategy this year.

"But we have to adjust. We got injuries as well, other teams have got injuries but a couple of injuries to key Indian batsmen is again a challenge. But that's a part of the IPL. We just need to keep scraping and if that's going to be the quality of this side then I'll be very proud of that. It's keeping us on our toes, there's certainly something happening everyday," said Fleming.

Having been the coach of Rising Pune Supergiant, a team that also had the likes of MS Dhoni, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar in the ranks, Fleming and Co. would have a fair amount knowledge of how the venue works for them and other nuances involving the MCA stadium. While Fleming sees a couple of positives on that front, the loss of Chennai as a venue is still playing large on his mind.

"There is experience of being in Pune the last two years, that is a positive. Whether the Pune pitch is the same as what it was 12 months earlier, we'll have to wait and see when we get there. We know the characteristics of the ground, which is again a positive. Does it replace Chepauk? No, it doesn't. But we'll get up to speed with guys, get them used to the subtleties of the ground as quick as we can. We have guys who've bowled there - Shardul [Thakur], [Deepak] Chahar and [Imran] Tahir, which is important. We'll always try and find some positives and those are a couple," he said.

Apart from the shift in base, CSK's challenge also lies in identifying the efficiency of the team structure to overcome the loss of personnel. They will have to go through the combiatrics again and possibly rethink strategies, especially with the absence of Raina (for a match or two) and Jadhav. Thankfully for them, the experienced Murali Vijay has regained his fitness and they also have the talented Dhruv Shorey to count upon, although any one of these choices would come at the expense of doing away with their opening combination of Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu, which served the team well.

"We can't replace him (Raina), he's one of the best performing players in the IPL and the highest run-scorer in the history (of the league). So we can't replace him, we just got to find a way to minimise his loss. We've got good players in our set-up - Dhruv Shorey, Murali Vijay who's played here last year. So there's guys here with points to prove, with international experience, and if they get the chance they'll do their best what Suresh Raina can do. (This is) an opportunity for someone else but you'd like to get someone like Suresh Raina back into your side as quick as possible. The blessing is we've got another four days in between and there might be a chance that he could be fit for the next game but we won't rush him.

"Sometimes you can place over-importance on that (combinations)," added Fleming. "Rayudu has got experience all through the order. Someone like Shorey and Murali Vijay are more suited to opening. But we've got to balance that in our final discussions - whether it's worth keeping that combination together. I think there is something going well in that combination but even if it is for a couple of games, it might be that we can make a change and then revisit that once Suresh Raina comes back."

Finding a solution that fits the bigger picture is the mantra that Fleming is advocating. In that process, certain compromises have to be made, some plans may have to be altered. "The IPL is about making combinations given the challenges that you've got. Sometimes the ideal has to sit on the side and you have to come up with the solution that maybe fits the bigger picture. It's probably where we find ourselves now. Even Lungi [Ngidi] for example: his skillset, a bit of bounce and a bit of pace, could have been nice on this wicket but where do you fit him in and what do you do? So the whole time you're compromising and easing out scenarios that you hope would give your team the best chance."

Categories: cricbuzz News

Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings 12th T20 Today Match Prediction 2018

April 15, 2018 0 Comment

ABOUT THE MATCH

Riding on individual brilliance, CSK is one of the top two teams in the points table. They'll now take on Kings XI Punjab who lost to RCB in their most recent encounter where they failed to even last twenty overs. Ravichandran Ashwin, who was an integral part of CSK a couple of years ago, will now be captaining KXIP and will be hoping to put up a superior performance against a side he's played for eight years. With CSK playing after two years and a new look KXIP side, the tickets are already sold out and we expect a cracker of a game on Sunday, 15th April.

KXIP

46.8%

DRAW

CSK

53.2%

Tournament: Indian Premier League 2018
Date: 15 Apr, 2018
Format: T20
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Time: 20:00

MATCH PREVIEW

KINGS XI PUNJAB

Kings XI Punjab made a strong statement as they starting off their IPL campaign with a win against Delhi Daredevils. Against RCB, they scored 155 while batting first, but lost the match by four wickets.

Batting first, KXIP got off to a blazing start courtesy of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. However, they could not get the momentum going and lost three quick wickets which brought down their scoring rate quite considerably. KL Rahul was once again brilliant with the bat, but no support for him in the middle order allowed RCB to claw back and they were restricted to a modest total of 155.

The defense of 155-runs total was never going to be easy, but the way their bowlers made a match out of it was commendable. Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked up an important wicket of Virat Kohli and did not allow RCB's scoring rate to climb up. Tye and Sharma were smashed for runs in their first overs, but they bounced back beautifully during the death overs.

Kings XI Punjab have overall played extremely good Cricket, but their batting looked to be a little subdued in Bengaluru. They were twenty runs short on a good batting pitch and they'd have to play out of their skins as they'll have to face tactical prowess of MS Dhoni in an all-important encounter.

KINGS XI PUNJAB STARTING LINEUP

Starting lineup not yet available.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

The news that Chennai Super Kings won't be playing anymore at the Chepauk during this year's IPL is a big setback to the team as well as fans alike. Although their key players in Suresh Raina and skipper MSD have failed to fire, their knack of finding heroes have ensured that they stay within the top two spots as far as the points table is concerned.

PCA's pitch will be a lot different to what they've played on in the tournament so far. Their spinners will be a little relieved as they'll be bowling in a slightly bigger ground, but they'd have to be wary of KL Rahul's form.

Barring Imran Tahir, CSK's spinner have lacked consistency and both Harbhajan and Jadeja didn't get to complete their allowed quota of four overs in any of their games. Batting hasn't clicked and the absence of Suresh Raina will add to the woes of their batting department.

Sam Billings and Shane Watson's knock kept CSK in the hunt in the last game despite a poor show by Raina and MS Dhoni. We may see Murali Vijay drafted into the playing XI to take Raina's position and Rayadu back into the middle order. CSK have already lost two of their best batsmen due to injuries and it won't be surprising if they decide to pack their batting department and pick Faf du Plessis in the playing XI as a trial by spin waits for them.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS STARTING LINEUP

Starting lineup not yet available.

TOSS PREDICTION

Win the toss and field first has so far been the sure shot way to success and we expect the winning skipper to bowl first.

PITCH AND CONDITIONS

Although Mohali has witnessed light rain over the past couple of days, the weather has been hot here. Due does play in Mohali albeit a little. PCA Stadium offers a sporting wicket with assistance for bowlers as well as true bounce and carry for the batsmen to score runs quickly. Settling in first will be the key for the batsmen here and par score here will be around 170ish mark.

OUR PREDICTION

While CSK are sitting pretty at the top of the table, it doesn't truly reflect the correct picture of the struggles they've been through to get there. The absence of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni's form is a cause of concern which they'd be pondering upon. Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, have already lost one game but have looked to be a strong unit overall. With plenty of spinning options available with Punjab and Raina's absence, we expect the home team to topple CSK in this all-important clash at Mohali.

OUR PREDICTION

Kings XI Punjab To Win the Match

Categories: Today Match Prediction

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals 11th T20 Today Match Prediction 2018

April 15, 2018 0 Comment

ABOUT THE MATCH

The Royal Challengers won their second match of IPL 2018 in the last over to open their account this season. The Rajasthan Royals also managed to sneak in a win against the Delhi Daredevils in a rain-affected match. Traveling to Bengaluru and winning against RCB, though, is going to a whole different kettle of fish.

Both the teams have shown some vulnerabilities and both have some team balance issues to take care of. The conditions also promise to be conducive to some wonderful cricket. We could have a wonderful match on our hands.

RCB

60.4%

DRAW

39.6%

Tournament: Indian Premier League 2018
Date: 15 Apr, 2018
Format: T20
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India
Time: 16:00

MATCH PREVIEW

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

Virat and his man showed that they are not just one trick ponies as they eaned on their bowing to keep them in the match against the Kings XI Punjab. Washington Sundar is the one bower that really comes to mind as the standout performer in that match. He recovered from a poor first outing and showed real character by bowling his four overs for just 22 runs.

Of course, the initial breakthroughs were provided by Umesh Yadav who picked all his three wickets in just one over. Umesh Yadav can be very unpredictable in the shortest format of the game and you should be wary of putting too much stock on him in the upcoming matches.

The problem for RCB has been with the performance of Woakes and Chahal. Both of them were expected to lead the attack but have had trouble finding their rhythm. Still, there is enough to suggest that RCB has a potent attack at its disposal.

The real strength of RCB is their batting, though. With a top-4 comprising of McCullum, de Kock, Kohli, and de Villiers, one or the other batsman will come good on most days. In fact, AB de Villiers is showing the kind of form that should make all the opposition teams quiver.

Brendon McCullum just needs to give himself a little more time and we have no doubt that he will be at his best as well in no time.

RCB will also be pleased with the kind of maturity Mandeep Singh has shown. He, Sarfaraz Khan, Woakes, and Washington Sundar form a very formidable lower order that allows RCB to go hard from ball one.

Everything is coming together for RCB nicely and they now have an early win to start their season well. This is a team that will climb towards the top of the IPL league table very quickly.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE STARTING LINEUP

Starting lineup not yet available.