Royal Challengers Bangalore have started the tournament in the best possible way. They are the only team to have won both games this season. RCB posted thrilling wins over MI and SRH in their first two games. Harshal Patel led the charge in the first game while Glenn Maxwell’s innings proved to be the difference in the 2nd game. RCB have found new heroes in both their wins and this augurs well for the franchise. Shahbaz Ahmed’s game-changing over against SRH is another highlight. They will be high on confidence heading into their 3rd game.
Kolkata Knight Riders started the tournament well. They won comfortably against SRH in their opening game. KKR looked all set to notch their second win until they choked spectacularly against MI. KKR will be ruing the fact that they lost a game they should have ideally won. Their star players haven’t delivered with the bat for KKR. Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell have had two forgettable outings with the bat. Russell has proven to be handy at the death but they desperately need his batting services. KKR will be keen to put the shock loss against MI behind them.
RCB vs KKR: Favourites?
RCB will look to carry forward the confidence gained from their 2 wins. They have had match winners apart from Virat Kohli and that is an ominous sign for other teams. RCB will be keen to make it 3 out of 3 this season.
KKR on the other hand will be eager to get back to winning ways. They lost a match ideally they should have won. Their batting has let them down and it needs fixing against a varied RCB attack.
Which players will be match-winners in this game?
Glenn Maxwell has found a home in RCB. He has put in impressive performances in both games. Maxwell will be key to RCB’s chances.
AB de Villiers is the only player to have mastered batting conditions at the death. He will be crucial for RCB in this game.
Shubman Gill will be eager to come good against RCB. He has looked in fine touch but he will love to play a match-winning innings sooner rather than later.
X-factor player:
Mohammad Siraj bowled a sensational spell against SRH. He will hold the aces against KKR.
Andre Russell has proven to be a key death bowler for KKR. He will be difficult to score against.
Probable Playing XI:
Royal Challengers Bangalore predicted XI:
Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dan Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal
Kolkata Knight Riders predicted XI:
Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Shakib Al Hasan, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna
What do stats say about RCB vs KKR?
RCB and KKR have played 26 IPL games against each other.
RCB has won 12 matches. KKR has won 14 games.
RCB’s highest score against KKR is 213. KKR’s highest score against RCB in 222.
RCB’s lowest score against KKR is 49. RCB’s lowest score against KKR is 84.
Pitch:
150 is the average score at this venue.
Weather Report:
A high of 33 degrees and a low of 27 degrees is expected. There are no chances of rain. Dew might play a big factor and teams will prefer to chase under such weather conditions.
Ground stats:
150 has been a match-winning score at this venue in this season.
StumpsandBails verdict:
It is a battle between RCB’s adaptability and KKR’s bounce-back ability. RCB might just edge KKR in this encounter.
