Picking a combined RR-KKR playing 11 with impact sub ahead of IPL 2025 clash ft. Quinton de Kock, Maheesh Theekshana

Rajasthan Royals (RR) host Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the sixth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League season at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Assam, on Wednesday, March 26. Both teams suffered losses in their opening encounters and will be hoping to correct their respective courses.

While RR were humiliated by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their own den, defending champions KKR were shown their place by a resurgent Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening fixture of this edition of the tournament. Both teams are hurting, and this could make them dangerous to face.

In this piece, we select a combined playing XI from RR and KKR along with an impact substitute:

Top-order batters: Quinton de Kock, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag

Quinton de Kock and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings for this team, with Riyan Parag expected to come in at number three. Neither de Kock nor Jaiswal got off to good starts in their opening matches and will be keen on taking the bowlers on a leather hunt in this outing at the Barsapara Stadium.

De Kock and Jaiswal, despite both being southpaws, can wreak havoc with their scintillating strokeplay and induce opposition bowlers to become mere numbers. Both these batters like to play the ball on the rise and make use of the fielding restrictions inside the powerplay. De Kock will also be designated the wicketkeeper of this side.

Parag, who had a stellar time in the IPL last season and accumulated 573 runs at an average of 52, did not get going in his team's first outing of this season against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, the Assam all-rounder is known for his spin-hitting skills and will want to bring them to the fore in this game.

Middle-order batters: Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shubham Dubey, and Andre Russell

Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer will man the upper middle-order of this team, with the former also donning the captain's role. Rahane stunned everyone with his explosive display in his team's opening encounter against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and forced many of his detractors to take their critique back.

While his 56 may not have helped KKR pick up their first points of the season, it was reassuring to see a batter of the classical mould adapt himself to the shortest format of the game and go gung-ho. Iyer, who is technically a top-order batter, will have to slot in the middle order for this side.

Iyer was the most expensive buy for KKR this season (INR 23.75 crore), and although the franchise will view him for more than being just a number, he will feel the responsibility to deliver with both the bat and the ball. Shubham Dubey and Andre Russell will play the roles of the designated finishers in this team.

Dubey got off to a good start in the season when he scored a quickfire 34 not out off just 11 deliveries in RR's previous game against SRH, and will be expected to do so here as well. As for Russell, he has tremendous muscle power that sends balls for miles into the galaxy during the finishing stages of an innings.

Bowlers: Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Maheesh Theekshana, Jofra Archer

Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Maheesh Theekshana, and Jofra Archer will helm the bowling responsibilities for this side. Archer and Chakaravarthy will lead this bowling attack with their vast experience, whereas Rana and Theekshana will be expected to contribute with their versatility, both with the new and old ball.

Theekshana and Chakaravarthy will form a 'mystery bowling duo' who can baffle opposition batters with the wide array of varieties they have up their sleeves. Both are leg-spinners but operate in quite distinctive manners, with the former preferring pace off the wicket and the latter relying on his release points and pivot.

Jofra Archer will hope that the gods are kinder to him in this game than they were in RR's opening fixture in Hyderabad, where he was belted for 76 runs in his quota of four overs. However, he is a quality bowler who can come back strongly. Rana too went for runs in his first game, bowling at an economy of 10.67, but he will be expected to partner Archer with the new ball inside the powerplay.

Impact substitute: Sanju Samson

RR captain Sanju Samson - who is still nursing a finger injury and has handed his duty over to Riyan Parag - will be the impact player in this game, who will most probably be expected to bat in the top order. Samson showed his class in RR's defeat to SRH with a 37-ball 66.

His recent form has shown that he prefers taking on the new ball and putting up a demolition job of the opposition bowlers. Samson's unique (some might say weird) back-and-away trigger movement has also left several teams wondering as to how to plot his downfall and get his wicket.

(A notable exception in this team is Dhruv Jurel, who stood tall with a fine 35-ball 70 against SRH. The wicketkeeper-batter, who has played Test cricket for India, could have fitted in the slot occupied by Venkatesh Iyer in this team, but the latter offers variety with the ball in hand when asked to, and this tilted the balance in his favor.)