Rajasthan Royals (RR) will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 44th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the upcoming match. Rajasthan Royals are already eliminated from the playoffs race, while KKR's chances are hanging by a thread. This is more of a must-win match for the defending champions. KKR vs RR Match 53: Match Details Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 53, IPL 2025 Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025 Time: 3:30 PM IST Venue: The Eden Gardens, Kolkata Live Streaming: Star Sports Network & JioCinema Also Read | IPL 2025: Ashwin's YouTube channel not to cover remaining CSK games KKR vs RR Head-to-Head Stats (H2H) in IPL KKR vs RR Head-to-Head Stats Total Matches 30 Won by Kolkata Knight Riders 14 Won by Rajasthan Royals 14 Tied/NR 2 Last 5 Matches Result KKR: 2, RR: 2 Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals share a balanced head-to-head record, with 14 wins each. In their previous clash this season, KKR dominated the contest, securing a comfortable eight-wicket win. KKR vs RR: Team Preview for Match 54 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) KKR have had an up-and-down campaign so far, with just four wins from 10 matches. They now need a standout performance to stay in the playoff race. Ajinkya Rahane has been the lone bright spot in a misfiring batting lineup, while the bowling unit has held its own, led by the mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Venkatesh Iyer, who is yet to fire big, and Ajinkya Rahane will hold the key in the batting department, while Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana are expected to lead the bowling department. Key Players of KKR: Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy Rajasthan Royals (RR) Rajasthan Royals have had a tough time in IPL 2025, losing four of their last five matches. Their only recent high point was a memorable win over the Gujarat Titans, thanks to a brilliant century by 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. However, they were completely outclassed in their last game, suffering a crushing 100-run defeat to the Mumbai Indians. Vaibhav Suryavanshi will once again be the player to watch, while Jofra Archer is expected to spearhead the bowling attack. Key RR Players: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag, Jofra Archer Also Read | Ishant Sharma slapped with heavy fine after SRH vs GT Probable Playing XI for KKR vs RR Match 53 KKR Expected XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Moeen Ali, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy Impact Subs: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia RR Expected XI: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (capt), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi Impact Subs: Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kunal Rathore, Yudhvir Charak, Kwena Maphaka Pitch & Weather Report for KKR vs RR Match 53 Pitch Report The Eden Gardens pitch has been a batting beauty this season with plenty of runs on offer, but spinners can still get some grip as the game goes on. Weather Report Kolkata weather looks good for the game, with no rain expected. It'll be cloudy and humid, around 24°C during match time. Dew could play a role later in the evening. Conclusion Kolkata Knight Riders will head into this contest as the favourites. They will need their batting order to fire big and are likely to bounce back to winning ways. RR also need something special from their batters to put up a show against KKR.