Kolkata Knight Riders opted to bowl first after winning the toss against Rajasthan Royals. KKR are looking to turn their tables after two defeats. The dearth of runs in Venkatesh Iyer's kitty this season has hurt KKR, with their highest opening partnership in the season worth 43 against Chennai Super Kings in their tournament opener.
Rajasthan too have had similar woes, in terms of their starts and finishes. While a lot of the weight has been carried by Jos Buttler at the top, they've lacked a steady hand in the middle, especially from the bat of Sanju Samson. After a good start to the season, Samson's form has waned, with him struggling to score against pace with just 50 runs in 49 balls. Against spin, however, he's struck at 223.33. While Shimron Hetmyer has perfected his role as a finisher, Riyan Parag too has fallen short, with just 43 runs in 4 innings. RR have also leaked too many runs in the death so they have brought in Obed Mcoy the tall West Indies seamer and Trent Boult also returns to the playing XI.
