Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, both reeling from heavy defeats in their previous matches, will seek a swift turnaround as they face off in an IPL encounter on Wednesday.
Defending champions KKR suffered a seven-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the tournament opener, while RR endured a 44-run defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Despite boasting strong batting and bowling line-ups, both teams failed to deliver under pressure.
While Rajasthan’s bowlers could attribute their underperformance to the challenging conditions on a Hyderabad pitch, Kolkata had no such justification for their struggles.
Adding to RR’s woes was the performance of stand-in captain Riyan Parag, who appeared uncertain in his on-field decision-making. As the team coached by Rahul Dravid prepares for their next challenge, sharper leadership from Parag will be crucial for Rajasthan’s comeback hopes against KKR. Match starts at 7.30 pm.
Here are predicted squads:
RR predicted playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag(c), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel(wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Akash Madhwal.
RR Impact Sub: Yudhvir Charak/Kunal Singh Rathore.
KKR predicted playing XI: Quinton de Kock (w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy.
KKR Impact Sub: Vaibhav Arora/Manish Pandey.
Who Is Vaibhav Suryavanshi?
Hailing from Bihar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi isn’t your average teenager—he’s already rewriting cricketing history with these incredible milestones:
- Youngest Ranji Trophy Debut: At just 12 years and 284 days, Vaibhav became the youngest cricketer to debut in the Ranji Trophy for Bihar.
- Youngest List-A Debut: At 13 years and 269 days, he became the youngest Indian to play List-A cricket, making his mark in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
- U-19 Asia Cup Star: Vaibhav shone brightly in the U-19 Asia Cup 2024, finishing as India’s second-highest scorer with two stunning half-centuries.
But his talent doesn’t stop there. During a Youth Test against Australia, he smashed a 58-ball century, making him the fastest Indian to reach that milestone.
Known for his aggressive left-handed batting and explosive stroke play, many have already started comparing him to a young Yuvraj Singh. Vaibhav, however, draws his inspiration from Brian Lara, crediting the West Indies legend for shaping his natural, fearless playing style.