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The Indian T20 League is all set for probably one of the most crucial contest of the league stages as Kolkata and Rajasthan go up against each other in Sharjah. A win for Eoin Morgan's side could confirm their berth in play-offs while the Men in Pink could act as party spoilers. With not much separating the two sides in points table, let us have a look at few factors which could give us an idea of who could have an edge going into this contest:
1. Head to Head
In 24 meetings between the two sides, there is very little to separate them with Kolkata winning 12 and Rajasthan emerging victorious on 11 occasions. However, it's the Men in Purple who have dominated this fixture in recent times with 6 wins in last 8 games giving them the upper hand.
2. Performance in the ongoing UAE leg
Kolkata have looked an absolutely different side in the UAE leg of tournament with some brilliant all-round performances. They are coming to this match on the back of a comprehensive win against Hyderabad and will be filled with confidence. On the other hand, Rajasthan suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Mumbai in previous contest which almost ended their hopes of going ahead in the tournament.
3. Recent Form of players
Kolkata have some in-form players in their side in form of Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Tripathi, who will be raring to guide their side through to play-offs. They have looked in scintillating touch in UAE so far as a unit, with almost all the players chipping in with valuable contributions whenever required.
Considering the above factors, Kolkata will have a slight edge going into this contest.