The last match of the Indian Premier League regular season could well be a dress rehearsal of the IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 as the top two heading into the day battle it out when the Rajasthan Royals host the Kolkata Knight Riders in Guwahati.
Kolkata know that whatever happens in this match they will top the table heading into the finals. Rajasthan could be third by the time this begins in which case they will need to win the give themselves two goes at reaching the final. This becomes a dead rubber if Hyderabad have lost earlier in the day.
Rajasthan Royals
Whether they are secured second spot heading into this match or not you sense this is a big game for the Rajasthan Royals. They are carrying no form at the minute and the last thing they will want is to go into the finals off the back of five straight defeats, which would be the case were they to lose this one. It helps that they are guaranteed an extension to their season but you wouldn’t fancy their chances of winning the title if they can’t find a return to form here.
Originally this downturn in form came about because their bowling attack got caught below par a couple of times but in more recent times it has been their batting that hasn’t really caught fire and that is the epitome of a side who are going the wrong way. They have now lost a couple of key batters so they will need the star names who remain to come back to the party here. I still think they have the best bowling attack in the competition but they need to prove that here too.
Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders have been the best team in the regular season but they will know that will count for nothing if they can’t maintain their form for another week and come away with the title. The good thing for them is that they know they will be getting two goes at making the final should they need them so they can pretty much treat this game as an outing to get players who aren’t in pristine form in much better shape in case they need them in the final stages of the competition.
Kolkata have been brutal with the bat in hand in this tournament. They have blitzed their way through the powerplay which has allowed them to just ensure the platform for the last 10 overs has been laid and when it has they have the players to take full advantage of it. Their bowling unit began the competition a little quiet, but as expected, when the pitches got a little more tired that department started to come into its own. They are the team to beat from here.
Special Offer
Open a new Sporting Index account and bet £10 on the IPL (min odds 1/2) to get £20 in free bets (2x£10 free bets) to use on any sports market! Click the image below to take advantage of this great offer! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Responsibly.
Key Players
If the Rajasthan Royals are going to go on and win this title they could probably do with Yashasvi Jaiswal to catch fire and get the team off to decent starts with the bat that the rest of their players can build on and get them up to an effective score.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is going to replace Phil Salt for the remainder of the competition with the Englishman having left to prepare for the T20 World Cup. Kolkata wouldn’t mind the Afghanistan opener catching fire immediately on his return to the side.
Betting
I took the Punjab Kings to hit the most sixes against the Rajasthan Royals in the first game on this ground earlier in the week and I see no reason not to take the Kolkata Knight Riders in the same market when you consider the way they have batted this season. The other reason why I think it is a good bet is because I’ve mentioned throughout the season how the Knight Riders bat so deep that they can play with freedom at the top of the innings, often to big hitting effect.
The other reason why I think the Knight Riders are good things in this market is because the Rajasthan Royals are without one of their more natural six hitters in Jos Buttler who has left the competition now. They might have Shimron Hetmyer back but he hasn’t really caught fire in this tournament and Rajasthan generally go in a batter light as they like more bowling options. Kolkata have absolutely no competitive pressure on them here and I think they’ll deliver the most sixes in this one.
Tips
Back Kolkata Knight Riders Most 6s for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Sky Bet
