KKR Aim for Top Spot Against In-Form Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens

Gautam Gambhir has given the Kolkata Knight Riders players a pep talk before every game this season at the conclusion of their game-night practise. It appears that the motivational speech has had a positive effect on the second-place Knights, based on their current standings.

But on Tuesday at Eden Gardens, they'll face a team that, unlike the Gujarat Titans, who lost the game due to a one bad over, has mostly played the game correctly thus far in the competition and, more significantly, has maintained composure under duress.

With all of their bases covered, the Rajasthan Royals will undoubtedly be difficult for the Knights to beat. The team must play again in less than a day after defeating the Lucknow Super Giants handily.

The Knights took the day off on Monday, the eve of their game against the Royals, and did not have a practice session. However, it is assumed that there would be a pre-match team meeting when Gambhir would undoubtedly discuss the tactics required to take on the front-runners.

With a superior net run rate, Shreyas Iyer and company may overtake the Royals and take the top spot with a victory. It goes without saying that when the competition approaches the halfway point, it would also increase their confidence.

It is improbable that the Knights will make any changes to the starting lineup after last Sunday's convincing victory against Lucknow, barring any injuries sustained by players prior to the match.

Phil Salt, the keeper and opener, is playing well, but his partner Sunil Narine did not score any runs in the last game. The Knights would need an explosive start from Salt and Narine to keep ahead of a high-scoring team like the Royals.

Speaking about the pitch, it will be resurfaced, which should help the strikers and provide some grip for the bowlers.

The Royals do need Jos Buttler at the top, who misplayed the previous match against the Punjab Kings because of a niggle, along with Ravichandran Ashwin. The good news for the visitors is that on Monday, both Buttler and Ashwin spent a considerable amount of time batting at the nets while also bowling a little. However, Buttler had his right knee bandaged.

"Neither pre-planning nor overthinking are traits that define us. All we're focusing on is managing the things within our power, such as practice, preparation, and training. Head of the Royals academy teaching and support coach Siddhartha Lahiri told The Telegraph, "We want our players to be comfortable on game day and perform."

Even though Yashasvi Jaiswal hasn't been able to convert starts, the Royals still support him. When it comes to T20 cricket, he chooses to play the part that carries a very high risk. We are not at all interested in him changing his strategy. Thus, he's doing appropriately, and no special guidance is needed for him," Lahiri said.

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