Deadline: April 24, 7:30 PM IST
Both teams have won only one of the four matches, and both face similar problems. Their openers haven’t been laying a strong foundation, and their middle-order has squandered at crucial phases. They may have game-changing bowlers, but they too haven’t played well as a cohesive unit.
Be that as it may, they have entertaining players who make online fantasy cricket even more exciting.
Probable XIs
Rajasthan: Jos Buttler (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat/Shreyas Iyer, Andrew Tye/Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya
Kolkata: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (ca), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team based on recent performances, impact, and credit points.
Pitch report
The average first and second innings scores, at the Wankhede Stadium this season, read 180 and 176 respectively. The team batting second has won 5 of 8 matches.
The pitch has not produced enough spin. Make sure you power up your fantasy teams with pacers, especially those who bowl at the death.
Power players
Andre Russell is back! He has taken a five-wicket haul in a mere 2 overs and his last two scores read 31 off 20 and 54 off 22. More importantly, he is back to being the confident Russell he is reputed for.
Pat Cummins revealed that had he bowled one good over, his breathtaking innings of 66* off 34 could not have gone in vain. He is right. He could not get his lengths right. Perhaps, he is better when he bowls with the new ball, but Kolkata seem to have different plans for him. That being said, if he can bat the way he did the other night, it makes him as good a fantasy player as Russell.
The Wankhede Stadium is Shivam Dube’s home ground. He has hit sixes in every nook and cranny. He scored 46 off 32 when they had lost 4 for 43 in 7.2 overs. He could have dealt in ones and twos but rather stuck to his natural brand of cricket. He can also bowl a few overs with his medium pace, but Rajasthan haven’t made a game plan for him.
After scoring consecutive half-centuries, Nitish Rana fell for scores of 18 and 9. On the other hand, Shubman Gill has been throwing his wicket away in the pursuit of launching an attack. He looked better when his job was to keep the innings together. The onus thus will be on Rana and Rahul Tripathi to provide a solid start.
Jos Butler and Sanju Samson will have to pull up their socks. They haven’t been able to build on good starts, eventually playing uncharacteristic shots. While Samson has already scored a hundred at the venue, Butler’s highest score reads 49.