IPL 2024 Spotlight: Match 31 KKR vs RR Stats Preview And Approaching Milestones

Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 31 of the Indian Premier League 2024 season at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday, April 16. Both KKR and RR have started the IPL 2024 season with a bang. RR have won five matches and lost just one match and are currently at the top of the points table. On the other side, KKR have won four matches and lost just one match and are currently in second place in the points table. Both Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals would like to continue their winning momentum with a win in this exciting battle of the table toppers.

High-scoring KKR vs resurgent Royals as IPL's top 2 square off

Speaking about the last game of the Rajasthan Royals against Punjab Kings, Yashasvi Jaiswal 39(28) was back among runs after initial failures. Unfortunately, the Royals lost the wicket at a crucial moment, losing several more wickets and ultimately shifting the game in Punjab's favour. But in the end, Shimron Hetmyer 27*(10) played a fantastic cameo, helping RR win the game in a last-over thriller. Rajasthan's bowlers were in control right from the start, led by Keshav Maharaj (4-0-23-2) and Trent Boult (4-0-22-1), who bowled magnificently, ensuring that the Punjab Kings managed to post a below-par total of 147.

Speaking about the last game of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Phil Salt 89*(47) played a match-winning knock that helped the Knight Riders chase the target within 16 overs against Lucknow Super Giants. Skipper Shreyas Iyer scored 38 runs off 38 balls, playing an anchoring role in the chase. The partnership between Iyer and Salt helped the Knight Riders chase the target effortlessly. Earlier in the game, Sunil Narine (4-0-17-1), who bowled excellently, helped Knight Riders to restrict LSG to below par total of 161. Mitchell Starc (4-0-28-2) was back among the wickets and gave excellent support to Narine.

Meanwhile, here's a look at the stats and numbers game ahead of the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals clash:

Head-to-Head:

KKR and RR have met each other 27 times in the Indian Premier League's history with the Knight Riders winning on 14 occasions and the Royals clinching 11 victories. Two games resulted in a tie.

Stats That Matter:

1. Out of the eight Kolkata Knight Riders batters who have scored at least 50 runs this IPL season, seven of them have a strike rate of 140 or more. The only player to have struggled is Shreyas Iyer, who has scored 129 runs at a strike rate of 120.56.

2. Yuzvendra Chahal has taken a wicket every 12 balls in IPL 2024, his best strike rate for any season in IPL history.

3. Yuzvendra Chahal needs three wickets to reach the 350 mark in T20 cricket.

4. Avesh Khan has bowled the joint-most overs (10) at the death (last four overs) of any bowler in IPL 2024 alongside Mustafizur Rahman and Mohit Sharma, and his economy rate (9.30) puts him in the top half of bowlers who have bowled at least five overs in that phase this season.

5. In two games at Eden Gardens this season, Sunil Narine has an economy rate of 4.50 across eight overs and hasn't conceded a single boundary. The other spinners have gone for a combined economy rate of 10.01 per over.

Approaching Milestones:

1 - Manish Pandey (149) needs one catch to reach 150 catches in T20s.

1 - Rovman Powell needs one six to reach 250 sixes in T20s.

2 - Shreyas Iyer (248) needs another two fours to reach 250 fours in IPL.

2 - Yuzvendra Chahal (198) needs another two wickets to reach 200 wickets in IPL.

6 - Ravichandran Ashwin (44) needs six catches to complete 50 catches in IPL.

7 - Sanju Samson (193) needs another seven sixes to reach 200 sixes in IPL.

13 - Nitish Rana (4487) needs thirteen runs more to reach a 4500-run landmark in 20-over cricket.

15 - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (3985) requires fifteen runs more to reach 4000-run landmark in T20 format.

17 - Shimron Hetmyer (3983) needs seventeen runs to reach the 4000-run landmark in the T20s.

95 - Shreyas Iyer needs another ninety-five runs to reach 3000 runs in IPL.

95 - Mandeep Singh (3905) needs ninety-five more runs to reach 4000-run landmark in T20s.