IPL 2023: 3 surprise picks for Dream11 fantasy team for KKR vs RR match

Kolkata Knight Riders KKR) go up against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 56th game of IPL 2023 on Thursday (May 11) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

It's a contest between two sides with the same number of points, but with wildly different paths to get to that stage. RR made the better start to the season but have only one win in their last six games.

Both their bowling and batting deficiencies have been ruthlessly exposed. While their batters regained form against SRH, their death bowling issues have spilled over from last season and have exacerbated..

Meanwhile, KKR's pacers have arguably endured an even more punishing fate this season, but their spinners, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma in particular, have helped them make up for that. Their win against PBKS may well be their best one so far, as it was a complete team effort, but it was Rinku Singh who applied the all-important finishing touch.

While KKR have the wind behind their sails, RR can beat any given side on their day, so this game promises to be a thrilling encounter with plenty of significance in the playoffs race. On that note, let's look at three surprise Dream11 picks for the KKR-RR contest.

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#3 Adam Zampa (RR)

On a spin-friendly Eden Gardens surface, KKR have been dominating their opponents with their spin-bowling trident. RR will want to win the battle of spin by adding Adam Zampa to join Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwinm which makes them stronger on paper.

Zampa has had a decent season so far. His last outing against GT isn't an indication of how he has performed, considering the game was already done and dusted by the time Hardik Pandya smashed him for runs.

Zampa is a tough bowler to attack, but that's exactly what the hard-hitting KKR side will look to do. On a ground where the dimensions of the ground are uneven, Zampa is a smart bowler who could use the longer side to his advantage.

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#2 Shimron Hetmyer (RR)

There have been plenty of high-profile names who have struggled for runs recently in IPL 2023, but there's one player whose poor run of form has slipped under the radar.

Runs have dried up for Shimron Hetmyer since his POTM-winning performance against GT. He has scored only 35 runs in his last six games, averaging only 7.00, so he will want to get back among the runs in this game.

The Eden Gardens is one of the best venues for a batter, and despite its spin-friendly nature, it's an ideal place for a batter like Hetmyer to get back into form. Hetmyer is capable of destroying opposition bowling attacks on his day. With KKR's focus likely to be on Samson, Buttler and Jaiswal, Hetmyer could steal the show.

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#1 Sunil Narine (KKR)

This has been a tough season for Sunil Narine. (Image Courtesy: iplt20.com)

In a season where KKR's spin attack has thrived, it's a surprise to see Sunil Narine being outclassed by Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma. With only seven wickets in 11 games at a career-worst economy rate of 8.61, this is proving to be a poor season for the IPL legend.

He'll want to bounce back and deliver big in this game, where he has positive match-ups against most of the RR batters. Narine's batting is an added bonus. While we haven't seen much runs from him, there's a possibility of him getting a promotion to deal with the leg-spin of Chahal and possibly Zampa.