Second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to continue their winning run at home when they host table-toppers Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. The match also presents a golden opportunity for the Purple brigade to take pole position in the IPL 2024 points table.

But it’s easier said than done as the Rajasthan Royals have been ruthless throughout the tournament, barring a minor blip against Gujarat Titans. The Royals are currently sitting atop the table with five wins from six outings, and boast of a balanced unit contributing to their victories.

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The KKR side on the other hand, have been pretty clinical in their approach in their four wins from five outings, but have their vulnerabilities in certain areas, especially the patchy form of some of the core players, including their skipper Shreyas Iyer and record buy Mitchell Starc.

Both teams head into Tuesday’s match after recording handsome wins, and as such the clash between the top two sides in IPL 2024, promises a juicy contest.

Rajasthan Royals’ formidable batting line-up, comprising the likes of Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, and Shimron Hetmyer, will be up for a stellar challenge against Sunil Narine, KKR’s most disciplined bowler in the season. The West Indian mystery spinner’s economical spells have been instrumental in KKR’s wins, and the onus will once again be on the experienced campaigner to stop the RR juggernaut.

For the visitors, the availability of in-form Jos Buttler, who missed their previous game against Punjab Kings, remains a mystery, and in that scenario, his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal will be expected to unleash his brute force on the KKR bowlers, and set the tone for Samson, Parag, Hetmyer, and Dhruv Jurel to add meat to their total.

On the bowling front, RR bowlers have dished out disciplined performances, and the team will once again be counting on the experience of Trent Boult to lead the pace unit, comprising Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Sen. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and South African offie Keshav Maharaj provide RR the variety in the slow-bowling department as the team awaits the potential addition of Ravichandran Ashwin, if fit.

For the home side, the opening combo of Phil Salt and Narine, will have a challenge to negotiate the challenge of the RR bowlers, and set the tone. While Salt has been in rollicking form, and will be looking to do an encore of his unbeaten 47-ball 89 against LSG on Sunday, the rest of the KKR batters will also be expected to pull up their socks if the RR new ball pair manages to create early inroads.

Iyer’s patchy form with a below-par strike rate has gone unnoticed so far, but the Mumbai right-hander’s approach could be up for discussion once the team fails. In the absence of vice-captain Nitish Rana, Iyer has taken up the anchor’s role, but he can serve his team better if he sticks to his natural game. The other Iyer in the KKR camp – Venkatesh, will also be hoping for a decent run with the bat after a series of dismal scores.

For the late blitz, KKR can hope for some fireworks from Andre Russell but it remains to be seen whether the West Indian power-hitter can clear the ropes at will against a well-oiled RR bowling unit.