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The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 56th IPL 2023 match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, May 11.
Both teams are placed in the middle of the points table with five wins from 11 matches. However, their recent fortunes have been poles apart. While KKR have peaked at the right time, winning their last two games, the Royals have lost five of their last six games.
The Knight Riders will be brimming with confidence after their thrilling victory over the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Rajasthan, on the other hand, dropped two points against SunRisers Hyderabad. Sandeep Sharam bowled a no-ball on the final ball of the match with five runs required. SRH batter Abdul Samad struck a six off the free hit to hand RR their sixth defeat of the season.
Both KKR and RR will be vying for victory on Thursday to keep themselves in the race for the playoffs.
Eden Gardens have witnessed a few high-scoring games this year and it is likely to remain the same tonight. Batters will relish playing on this wicket with the ball coming nicely onto the bat.
On that note, let's take a look at three batters who will score the most runs in today's KKR vs RR tie.
#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal - RR
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been in breathtaking form in IPL 2023. The RR opener is the second-highest run-scorer this season with 477 runs, including a ton and three fifties, in 11 matches at an average of 43.36 and a strike rate over 160.
The youngster will be disappointed with himself for not converting his start against Hyderabad. Jaiswal scored 35 off just 18 balls before being dismissed by Marco Jansen.
The left-handed batter will look to redeem himself on Thursday. If he gets going, KKR bowlers might well have a difficult outing in Kolkata.
#2 Jason Roy - KKR
Jason Roy has been in scintillating form ever since joining KKR as a replacement for Shakib Al Hasan. He has already scored 218 runs in five matches at an average of 43.60 and a strike rate of 159.12, with two half-centuries along the way.
He looked good for his 38-run knock against the Punjab Kings but will be disappointed for failing to convert it into something substantial.
Roy is extremely crucial to KKR's success and the think tank will hope that the English batter will continue his sublime form as they look to keep themselves alive in the competition.
#3 Jos Buttler - RR
After a slump in form, Jos Buttler returned to his absolute best against the SunRisers Hyderabad. He missed out on a well-deserved century by just five runs as he remained unbeaten on 95 off 59 balls, a knock studded with 10 boundaries and four sixes.
With RR in dire need of a win, it is imperative for Buttler to continue the good work and score the bulk of his side's runs on Thursday.
Buttler enjoys a superb record at Eden Gardens, scoring 169 runs in three IPL matches. He will look to add to his tally and guide RR to a scintillating win at the expense of KKR.
