Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 53 of IPL 2025. The match will be held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The match will start at 3:30 PM.

RR Eliminated, KKR Still Have a Chance

To begin with, Rajasthan Royals are already out of the playoff race. They became the second team eliminated after Chennai Super Kings. So far, RR have won only three of 11 matches, placing them eighth on the points table.

In contrast, KKR have had a mixed season. They have played 10 matches, winning four, losing five, and one was washed out. Therefore, they must win all their remaining games to stay in the race. Given RR’s poor form, KKR will back themselves to get the job done.

Head-to-Head Record

The two teams have played each other 31 times in the IPL, with the Royals winning 14 and the Knight Riders coming out on top 15 times. Two matches ended with no results.

Pitch Report

Moreover, the Eden Gardens pitch is expected to help batters. The afternoon heat will allow the ball to come nicely onto the bat. Fast bowlers may find early swing with the new ball. However, the surface will likely settle down as the game progresses.

Additionally, spinners could play a major role in the middle overs, especially if the pitch dries out. In the last match here, Punjab Kings scored 201/4 under lights. This game, scheduled in the afternoon, may see slightly different conditions. Dew won’t be a concern.

Therefore, winning the toss and batting first could prove advantageous. A big score could pressure RR, especially with their recent form struggles. Also, fielding in heat and humidity may affect player stamina.

Weather Report

As for the weather, expect 32°C temperatures with 67% humidity. Although there’s a 25% chance of rain, the skies should stay mostly clear. Thus, a full match is likely. However, the high humidity could test players' fitness, especially those fielding first.

Squads

Kolkata Knight Riders KKR): Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnity Sisodia, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markhande, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Chetan Sakariya.

Rajasthan Royals (RR): Sanju Samson, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.