Key Points
KKR aims to control the game by bowling first
Rahane highlights playing fearless cricket with intent
RR captain Riyan Parag expresses pride in leading the team
Dew factor considered crucial by KKR for their strategy
Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders are coming off losses in their previous games. Rajasthan suffered a heavy defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a high-scoring encounter, where SRH posted a record-breaking 286/6, and Rajasthan fell short despite scoring 242/6, losing by 44 runs.
"We'll look to bowl first. The wicket looks really good. If we bowl first, we'll get an idea of how this wicket is. Dew factor is huge here. It's about staying positive. This format is all about being fearless, playing with intent. We played very good cricket. T20 is all about giving your best each and every day. We are looking forward to this game. We learnt a lot from the last game. We want to stay in the moment. I don't look at the stars that much; for me, it's all about contributing. Sunil Narine misses out, he's not well. Moeen Ali comes in," Ajinkya Rahane said after winning the toss.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag expressed his feelings about leading the side in the ongoing 18th edition of the cash-rich league.
"Very proud, very humbled to be leading a franchise like this. I started when I was 17 years old. The management has shown faith in me, it's something I can't really put in words. A lot of positives from the last game. The middle-order really stepped up. A lot of positives with the ball as well. One change. Hasaranga comes in, Farooqi steps out," Riyan Parag said.
Teams:
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka.
