The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League will begin on Friday (April 9) and the championship match of this tournament will be held on May 30 at Ahmedabad's Motera Stadium. This year's tournament will feature a total of 8 teams and will be held in six different venues. Last season, no Bangladeshi cricketer participated in the IPL, but this year's edition will feature Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman. Shakib will represent Kolkata Knight Riders, while Mustafizur will play for Rajasthan Royals for the first time. Let's see which team has the best chance to win the IPL 2021?
Rajasthan vs Kolkata: Who has the upper hand in terms of team strength?
It's important to have an understanding of the squad when assessing title contenders. Let's take a look at both squads and examine their overall strength.
Batting
Rajasthan Royals
David Miller, Liam Livingstone, and Jos Butler are the three destructive overseas batsmen for Rajasthan Royals. The only two prominent Indian batsmen in Rajasthan's squad are Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal. They'll have to play with more responsibility since there aren't many alternatives in the Rajasthan squad. On the other side, Kolkata have a slight advantage in terms of batting ability.
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Kolkata Knight Riders
In the batting department, Kolkata have England captain Eoin Morgan and New Zealand wicket-keeper Tim Seifert in the foreign quota. These two are very effective batsmen in limited-overs cricket. Besides, Morgan is also one of the best captains in the world right now. Among the Indians, Kolkata have well-known batsmen like Rahul Tripathi, Karan Nair, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, and veteran Dinesh Karthik. Overall, the Kolkata squad has some reliable top and middle-order batsmen.
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Which team is stronger in batting?
Kolkata Knight Riders
Bowling
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals are considered to have the worst spin attack in this year's IPL as Mayank Markande and K. C. Cariappa are the only two young spinners for the Royals. They do, however, have a potent pace attack led by Bangladeshi left-arm medium-fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, Andrew Tye of Australia, Jofra Archer of England, and local lad Jaydev Unadkat. If Cutter Master Mustafiz gets into his rhythm in the tournament, he could be a trump card for Rajasthan. Bangladesh cricket fans are eagerly waiting to see Mustafiz's bowling prowess in the IPL.
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Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata have formed their pace attack with the inclusion of Australia's Pat Cummins, New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson, and India's Kamlesh Nagarkoti. Considering India's spin-friendly pitches, Kolkata have included four world-class spinners. They are Sunil Narayan, Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav, and veteran Harbhajan Singh. Kolkata have arguably the best spin attack in the tournament.
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Which team is stronger in bowling?
Kolkata Knight Riders
All-Rounder
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals includes England's best player Ben Stokes. This marquee all-rounder can become a nightmare to opposition teams. Rajasthan Royals have also included solid performers like Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, and Shivam Dube in the squad. Chris Morris is currently one of the best all-rounders in the T20 format. Morris is an all-rounder on par with England's Ben Stokes. Rajasthan will undoubtedly need these two players to perform consistently if they are to progress to the IPL 2021 playoffs.
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Kolkata Knight Riders
In the all-rounder category, Kolkata Knight Riders have included India's Shivam Mavi, Australia's Ben Cutting, Windies Power Hitter Andre Russell, and world no.1 Shakib Al Hasan. Among them, Andre Russell was Kolkata's best player in the last three seasons. So the Knight Riders will have a lot of expectations from him. On the other hand, Shakib will try to achieve success and showcase his true potential in this year's IPL. Shakib has an amazing ability to shine when the team needs him the most. Kolkata haven't won an IPL trophy after 2014, therefore Shakib and Russell will have to take on a lot more responsibility to reclaim the title for the knight riders.
Which team is stronger in the all-rounder category?
Both teams are equally strong
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Bottom Line
In terms of team strength, the Kolkata Knight Riders are slightly ahead of the Rajasthan Royals. As a result, Shakib Al Hasan's Kolkata are one of the hot favorites to win the 14th edition of the IPL. According to statistics, teams' probabilities of reaching the IPL play-off round increase if they can retain consistency in the middle of the tournament. In that case, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals would want to finish the league stage in top form. So, by the middle of the tournament, it will be clear which team has the best chance to win the IPL 2021? However, Bangladesh cricket supporters will cheer for both teams.
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