Introduction
The battle between Kolkata and Rajasthan, in the Indian T20 League, has barely been built up and hyped about but it has been a pretty tight one. The head-to-head record advantage has swayed from one corner to the other and there have been fascinating matches between these two sides. In fact, there has been a playoffs game as well between these two sides.
Kolkata and Rajasthan have played 23 matches in the history of the Indian T20 league. Kolkata is slightly ahead with 12 wins while Rajasthan is not too far behind as they have won 10 encounters. One game was abandoned in 2015. There has been a small problem for Rajasthan who has found it tough to win at the Eden Gardens, which is Kolkata’s home venue. They have won just two out of nine games at the iconic stadium.
Kolkata vs Rajasthan – Head to Head Record in the Indian T20 league
| Matches | Kolkata | Rajasthan | Tie / NR |
| 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 / 1 |
In the 2020 edition of the Indian T20 league, Kolkata came out on top in both the encounters and it was these two wins that took Kolkata ahead on head-to-head count. In fact, both the games in the season followed a similar pattern. Kolkata batted first and racked up big scores and Rajasthan collapsed and lost by big margins. In the first game of the season between these two sides, Kolkata put up 174/6 batting first and Rajasthan could manage just 137. In the second game, the Eoin Morgan-led side smashed 191/7 and Rajasthan lost by 60 runs.
Top 3 Performers Comparison and Stats
Kolkata’s inconsistency may have crept in the last couple of seasons but they have been one of the consistent sides in the last decade or so. Meanwhile, it may not be talked about much but Rajasthan has underperformed since winning the title in the inaugural season in 2008. However, both sides have produced some consistent performances against each other.
We look at the best performers from both teams (only active players considered), so you can easily make MPL fantasy teams when the edition begins next month.
Batsmen (Kolkata):
| Batsmen | Runs v Rajasthan |
| Dinesh Karthik | 544 |
| Eoin Morgan | 243 |
| Andre Russell | 175 |
Bowlers (Kolkata)
| Bowlers | Wickets v Rajasthan |
| Shakib Al Hasan | 12 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 11 |
| Sunil Narine | 10 |
Batsmen (Rajasthan)
| Batsmen | Runs v Kolkata |
| Sanju Samson | 334 |
| Manan Vohra | 241 |
| Jos Buttler | 240 |
Bowlers (Rajasthan)
| Bowlers | Wickets v Kolkata |
| Chris Morris | 19 |
| Rahul Tewatia | 9 |
| Andrew Tye | 8 |
Kolkata vs Rajasthan, Indian T20 League Schedule 2021
Kolkata and Rajasthan have played some keenly contested games and this rivalry has been slightly underrated in the history of the Indian domestic T20 league. At times, these two sides have also played crunch games at crucial junctures of the league stages. Kolkata has a slightly better head-to-head record which stands at 12-10 but no team goes in with a psychological advantage this season.
These two teams will be playing their two games in Mumbai and Bengaluru this year, as no team has the luxury of playing at their respective home venues.
Here, we take a look at the full schedule between Kolkata and Rajasthan in the upcoming Indian T20 league.
| Date | Matches | Venue | Time (IST) |
| Saturday, April 24, 2021 | Rajasthan vs Kolkata | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| Thursday, October 7, 2021 | Kolkata vs Rajasthan | Sharjah, UAE | 7:30 PM |
Statistics and Facts of Kolkata vs Rajasthan
These two teams have competed really well against each other and there have been a few interesting records, stats, and facts that have come up. Thus, here, we look at a few of those:
- Dinesh Karthik has a good record against Rajasthan. He has scored 519 runs against them and averages 32.43 while striking at 134.80. Those numbers look even better when he plays for Kolkata against Rajasthan – 233 runs at an average of 77.67 and a strike-rate of 159.59. Moreover, two out of his three fifties against Rajasthan have come while playing for Kolkata.
- Ben Stokes’ joint-worst average and his second-worst strike-rate against particular oppositions in the Indian T20 league are against Kolkata – 15.00 (75 runs in six games) and 101.35 respectively.
- There are some players from the current squads who have played for both these teams. Most of them are domestic Indian players like Rahul Tripathi, Karun Nair, KC Cariappa, and Jaydev Unadkat. Ben Cutting is the only overseas player to have featured in both the line-ups.
- Shivam Mavi has played 17 games in the Indian T20 league and has 14 wickets to his name. Out of those, six have come against Rajasthan.
Kolkata vs Rajasthan: Overall Head to Head Stats in the Indian T20 League
Kolkata and Rajasthan have squared off 23 times across 11 seasons in this Indian T20 league. Kolkata has won 12 games while Rajasthan has ended up winning 10, including a Super Over win in 2014. Both Kolkata and Rajasthan have managed to complete a clean sweep in a particular season against each other three times each. Kolkata did it in 2011, 2018, and 2020 while Rajasthan inflicted the same in 2008, 2014, and 2015.
Let’s take a look back at how this rivalry between Kolkata and Rajasthan has panned out with year-by-year results.
| Year | Matches | Kolkata | Rajasthan | Tie / NR |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 / 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 / 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 / 0 |
| 2018 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 / 0 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 / 1 |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 / 0 |
| 2013 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 / 0 |
| 2012 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 / 0 |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 / 0 |
| 2010 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 / 0 |
| 2009 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 / 0 |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 / 0 |
Note: The tie between these two sides in 2014 has been added in the tie column and Rajasthan’s win as they won the Super Over.
How will Kolkata vs Rajasthan Stats Help You on MPL?
Knowing the records, statistics, and the records ahead of a game helps you in picking the players that you want in your MPL fantasy team. As you need to pick a minimum of four players from a particular team, you will be well aware of the best choices, especially in one-sided contests like we see between Kolkata and Rajasthan.
