RR struggled as a bowling group in Hyderabad, but might find Guwahati to be a more forgiving venue © BCCI The churn of the IPL mega auction is already being felt, with two of last season’s top-three teams starting their campaigns on a losing note. Kolkata Knight Riders were outspun and outsmarted by Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens, while Rajasthan Royals, who are no strangers to starting their season well, were blown away by the batting might of Sunrisers Hyderabad in Uppal. RR and KKR have historically played out very close encounters, and they now face off in Guwahati to register their first points this season. As you would expect, both of them have their share of issues to sort out. KKR’s much-hyped lower-middle order crumbled against RCB’s relatively modest spin attack, a weakness that opponents will no doubt look to exploit. It’s imperative, then, that Sunil Narine bats deeper into the innings. Could he bat lower down the order? A reshuffle in the batting order could be on the cards, especially given that the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh – all prefer pace on the ball. Their strike rates dip notably against spin, a slight kink in an otherwise power-packed batting line-up. After the defeat, captain Rahane even admitted that the team management is open to sending Rinku higher up the order, considering how he didn’t get enough balls to face last season. For RR, their bowlers might find Guwahati a more forgiving venue. The shiny black-soil pitch produced middling totals last year and even if it’s a flat one this year, it’s almost certain that the bowlers will find something more from the pitch than what they did in Hyderabad. Regardless of the conditions, their pacers will want to be more consistent with the yorker, a length they failed to hit often enough in their defeat the other night. It is a key area they will look to address, especially after Jofra Archer returned figures of 0 for 76, the worst in IPL history. Both teams had a few positives to take away from their respective defeats. For KKR, Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane looked in sublime touch while for RR, Sanju Samson showed that his finger injury is only a hindrance when fielding, not while batting. Jitesh Sharma and Shubham Dubey also found the big hits, easing some of RR’s middle-order concerns. When: Match 6, on Wednesday, 26 March 2025, at 07:30 PM LOCAL Where: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati What to expect: Heat, humidity, and perhaps a bit more support for KKR at what is an away venue. In the one match played here last year, change of pace for seamers and spin proved effective. No T20s have been played at the venue since, so a degree of uncertainty remains. That said, teams batting first have won two of the three IPL matches held here. Head to head: KKR 14 – 14RR. It’s pretty even between the two sides, although two of those matches finished in ties, with RR sneaking in wins in the Super Over. It was a washout when these two sides met last year in Guwahati but earlier in that season, RR chased 224 off the last ball at Eden Gardens, thanks to an unbeaten century from Jos Buttler that overshadowed Narine’s 56-ball 109. Team Watch Rajasthan Royals Injuries/Availability: Sanju Samson, who is still recovering from finger surgery, will continue to feature as an Impact Player. Riyan Parag, whose captaincy tenure got off to a tough start, is set to lead the side once again. Tactics and Matchups: Could Kumar Kartikeya’s left-arm spin find a place? Krunal Pandya had quite the outing against KKR’s middle and lower-middle order, and RR might be tempted to exploit that recent weakness. What’s more, Kartikeya comes in with some form, having finished the recent edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as the second-highest wicket-taker. Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi Kolkata Knight Riders Injuries/Availability: Everyone is reportedly available for this clash. Tactics and Matchups: KKR’s bowlers could have their task cut out against RR, whose batters – barring Shimron Hetmyer – are generally comfortable against spin. They also have the firepower to exploit inexperience in the pace department, which was evident in RCB’s run-chase. KKR opted for Spencer Johnson’s left-arm angle alongside Vaibhav Arora’s swing with the new ball in their previous game, but both proved expensive. That forced Varun Chakaravarthy to bowl in the powerplay, something he did only four times throughout last season. Could the experienced Anrich Nortje, if fully fit, be an option? Probable XII: Quinton de Kock (w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson/Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora Did you know? – Anrich Nortje has been significantly more effective in the IPL in the UAE (34 wickets in 24 matches, at 20.55, economy 7.65) than in India (26 wickets in 22 matches, at 33.65, economy 10.37). – In their first match this season, KKR conceded their second-highest powerplay score (80/0) in IPL history, only behind the 93/1 by PBKS during their record 262-run chase at Eden Gardens last year. – The flick has been Rahane’s most effective stroke against pace in IPL since 2023, a shot he put to good use against RCB the other night. What they said: “We could have capitalized. We could have got more runs had we not lost wickets towards the end of the batting (against RCB). And yes, there is always opportunity for you to bowl better. But I think this team is not too worried about it. We will learn from what happened in the last game. And we will try and get better from there.” – KKR bowling coach Bharat Arun.
