IPL 2018 Preview: Six-hitting power of Sanju Samson and Andre Russell in focus as Rajasthan host Kolkata

Ajit Vijaykumar 20:17 17/04/2018
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Sanju Samson had a decent IPL 2018. Image: BCCI

    Bowlers can expect a tough day in the office as Kolkata Knight Riders travel to Jaipur to play Rajasthan Royals in the IPL on Wednesday.

    Rajasthan Royals have achieved the highest total in the IPL so far this season – 217 for four – while the Knight Riders have scored 200 or more twice already.

    The wicket in Jaipur is expected to be batsman friendly, which means we should witness a six fest.

    TALKING POINTS

    Rajasthan Royals mentor Shane Warne has left the country for a ‘short holiday’. Will be interesting to see how they fare without his guidance. England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been flying under the radar a bit and will be hoping to make a statement. All-rounder Jofra Archer is reportedly fit so should hope for gametime.

    The Knight Riders will be thrilled with their previous result against the Delhi Daredevils – 71-run win after scoring 200. Slow bowlers Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav were perfect against Delhi but will have their work cut out in Jaipur.

    PLAYERS IN FOCUS

    Sanju Samson hit eight sixes against Bangalore before hitting his first four during his knock of 92 in their previous game. The Royals will be hoping for similar clean hitting from the Kerala batsman. Samson has hit 12 sixes in three outings, including 10 against Bangalore.

    Kolkata star all-rounder Andre Russell showed why he is one of the most valuable cricketers on the planet. He has already smashed 19 sixes from 64 balls faced in the tournament for a strike rate of 239. However, he has picked up only one wicket in four matches. A good game with the ball will set the West Indian up for the rest of tournament.

    LIKELY LINE-UPS

    Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (c), D’Arcy Short, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, Jos Buttler (wk), K Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Raina, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Piyush Chawla, Tom Curran, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav

    Recommended