The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will face off against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 6 of the IPL 2025 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday, March 26.
Match Overview
Rajasthan Royals began their IPL 2025 campaign with a defeat against last year’s runners-up, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), in an away fixture. The Royals struggled with their fielding and bowling as SRH put up a mammoth total of 286/6 after being asked to bat first. Tushar Deshpande was the pick of the bowlers for RR, taking three wickets but conceding 44 runs in his four-over spell.
Chasing the daunting target, RR lost three wickets inside the powerplay. However, Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel played crucial half-centuries, while late fireworks from Shimron Hetmyer and Shubham Dubey saw them finish at 242/6 in their 20 overs, falling short of the target.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders played their opening match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens. After losing the toss, KKR batted first and posted 174/8 in their 20 overs, with captain Ajinkya Rahane leading the charge with a well-made half-century. Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi also made useful contributions. However, their bowling unit failed to defend the total as RCB chased it down in 16.2 overs with seven wickets in hand. Narine was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with figures of 1/27 in four overs.
Barsapara Cricket Stadium Pitch Report
The Barsapara Cricket Stadium has hosted four IPL matches so far, with teams batting first winning twice, while only one match has been won by the chasing side. The highest total at the venue is 199/4, posted by Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Capitals in 2023. The highest successful chase stands at 145/5, achieved by Punjab Kings. The average first-innings score in IPL matches at this venue is 180, while in T20Is, it is 192.
RR vs KKR Predicted Playing XI
Rajasthan Royals:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag (C), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi. Impact Player: Sandeep Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine, Quinton De Kock (WK), Ajinkya Rahane (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy.
RR vs KKR Probable Best Performers
Best Batter – Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson looked in great form against SRH, scoring 66 runs off 37 balls, including seven fours and four sixes. Known for making strong starts in IPL seasons, Samson will aim to continue his form and potentially lead the Orange Cap standings with another impactful innings.
Best Bowler – Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine remains a mystery spinner, even in his 14th IPL season. Despite RCB’s dominant batting display in the opening game, Narine kept things tight and took the crucial wicket of Devdutt Padikkal. His performance will be crucial for KKR’s chances in this fixture.
