Can RR win away from Sharjah? | IPL 2020 Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: SWOT Analysis

The Rajasthan Royals face the Kolkata Knight Riders in match 12 of IPL 2020. The two teams come into this fixture after successful chases in their previous matches.

Against Kings XI Punjab, RR stunned everyone as they chased down the highest total in the history of the league. KKR had a modest total to chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad but they saw it through without problems.

Here's the SWOT analysis.

The SWOT for RR

Strengths: Both Steve Smith and Sanju Samson have notched fifties in the two matches that the side has played so far. The manner in which they've scored their runs also bodes well for the team. Samson is able to get the big hits at will while Smith keeps taking the ones and twos interspersed with the big shots.

Weaknesses: Jaydev Unadkat has leaked runs in the two matches and has got just 1 wicket. At the moment, Jofra Archer is not getting the support he needs from Unadkat. While Ankit Rajpoot was impressive, Unadkat’s poor form could hurt RR’s chances.

Opportunities: RR now looks like a team that has almost all its bases covered. This is an opportunity for them to get on a winning run and prove their mettle.

Threats: A note of caution. RR have played its two matches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. It is the smallest of the three grounds this season. While their batsmen have been fabulous, they could be tested on the bigger grounds in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The big hits won’t come easily and they will need to adapt to the conditions quickly.

The SWOT for KKR

Strengths: With Shubman Gill settling in with a nice half-century, KKR’s batting now looks settled. Gill will be followed by Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell.

Weaknesses: Unfortunately for KKR, Sunil Narine has not been able to succeed as an opener. He is getting out and exposing the middle order early. KKR may need to try out another opener soon.

Opportunities: Andre Russell has bowled decently so far and snagged wickets while not conceding many runs. More is needed from him, however. His legendary batting escapes will be required before long.

Threats: Kuldeep Yadav hasn’t been bowling well. Sunil Narine too isn’t as threatening as he used to be. That means KKR’s two frontline spinners have been sidelined. This could be a big problem for Dinesh Karthik later in the tournament. Varun Chakravarthy and others will need to shoulder some of the burden.

Head to head:

Matches played: 21

Rajasthan Royals: 10

Kolkata Knight Riders: 10

No result: 1

Last five matches (most recent first):

Rajasthan Royals: W-W-L-NR-W

Kolkata Knight Riders: W-L-L-W-W

Ground conditions

The temperature will be around 35 degrees celsius. The humidity level will be around 43%. The sky will be clear with a gentle breeze.

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

Shubman Gill, Steve Smith (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Pat Cummins, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi

Team news

Players from both camps are reported to be fit.

Impact player for RR

Sanju Samson: The young keeper-batsman is winning a lot of praise from experts and fans. So far, Samson has notched up scores of 74 and 85 with the help of 16 sixes and five boundaries. With Jos Buttler still settling in, Samson has taken up the responsibility of scoring runs at a brisk pace and this needs to continue.

Impact player for KKR

Pat Cummins: After a rusty performance in his first IPL match of the season, the Aussie speedster bowled a pretty good spell of 4-0-19-1 against SRH. Against a team that has some power-hitters, Cummins could be the game-changer for KKR.

Betting Odds (bet365)

Rajasthan Royals: 1/1

Kolkata Knight Riders: 4/5

How to watch

The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 7.30 PM IST.