In match 18 of the Indian T20 League 2021, Rajasthan take on Kolkata at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.

Both the sides are struggling in the tournament with just one win in their four games respectively. Kolkata come here after an 18-run loss against Punjab, whereas Rajasthan were completely outplayed in their last game against Bangalore.

Batting-wise, Manan Vohra and Jos Buttler are struggling at the top. Sampson has not fired since his brilliant knock in the first game and the same goes for David Miller. Shivam Dube and Rahul Tewatia’s batting might be the only positive from the last game. The bowling attack was torn apart as none of their bowlers were able to trouble the Bangalore openers. Chetan Sakariya and Mustafizur Rahman must strike early for the side. Better lines are expected from Morris and the others here. Yashasvi Jaiswal might replace Manan Vohra in the opening slot.

From being down at 31 for 5, Kolkata managed to scare Chennai toward the end in the last game. Shubman Gill has failed to get going in the tournament and needs to give a proper start to the side. The same goes for Rana, Rahul Tripathi and Morgan in the middle order as they all were out cheaply in the last match. Thanks to Russell and Cummins’ sensational knocks, the losing margin was reduced to 18 runs. The side will need early wickets from Pat Cummins and Prasidh Krishna in this game. Varun Chakravarthy has been economical whereas Russell needs to be more consistent in the final overs.

Kolkata have lost only once in the last three seasons against Rajasthan. It will be interesting to see if the latter can improve on that record. With both teams looking to get their second win of the season, expect a cracking game of T20 cricket at the Wankhede on Saturday.

Match Details

• Match: Rajasthan vs. Kolkata, Match 18
• Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
• Date & Time: Apr. 24, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST

Statistics

• Head-to-Head Record: Rajasthan (10) - Kolkata (12)
• Last 5 Games Record: Rajasthan (1) - Kolkata (4)
• Average 1st Innings Score (Last 5 Games): 177 runs 
• Chasing Record (Last 5 Games): Won 3, Lost 2

Probable Playing XI

Rajasthan

Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C & WK), David Miller, Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Mutafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya

Kolkata

Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

Weather and Pitch Report

Mumbai is expected to have clear weather during the match. The temperature will be around 30 degrees during the game. 

The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium is generally very batting-friendly. Batsmen can trust the bounce and play through the line of the ball easily. The small dimensions of the ground also favor the batsmen, resulting in high-scoring games. Pace bowlers will get some early movement and extra bounce. There will be not much spin from the surface here.

Keeping in mind the dew factor, both captains will look to chase on winning the toss. The results of the last five matches also favor the side batting second. A first-innings score of around 190 runs should be a competitive one.

Top Fantasy Picks

• J Buttler is Rajasthan’s best batsman in this current line-up. He can be impactful and destructive at the top of the order. He has made only one significant contribution in the four games played, which was a score of 49 runs against Chennai. He will look to make a big one here.
• S Samson has so much potential but he fails to convert it into consistent performances. After a brilliant 119 in the first match, he has been quiet in the last three matches. He showed little signs of coming back into scoring form in the last game against Bangalore.  
• C Sakariya has been undoubtedly Rajasthan's best bowler in the tournament so far. He has taken 6 wickets in four matches at an average of 22.5 and an economy rate of 8.43. He will look to pick up more wickets with the ball here.
• S Gill is a key player at the top of the order for Kolkata. He has failed to get going in the tournament so far, with just 69 runs in four matches and a high score of 33. He was out on the first ball in the last match and will be itching to play a long inning. 
• N Rana started the season with a bang, scoring consecutive half centuries in the first two matches. However, his recent performances have been average with scores of 18 and 9 in the last two games. He will look to bounce back with a big score here.
• P Cummins almost did the job with the bat in the last match, making 66 off just 34 balls. He has taken 4 wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 9.12. In the last edition, he took 5 wickets against Rajasthan, including his best figures of 4/34.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeepers: J Buttler, S Samson
• Batsmen: S Gill, N Rana, R Tripathi 
• All-rounders: R Tewatia, C Morris, S Narine
• Bowlers: C Sakariya, P Cummins, P Krishna

• Captain: P Cummins/J Buttler 
• Vice Captain: S Gill/C Sakariya

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play all the fantasy cricket matches from the Indian T20 League in the coming days. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!