With the resumption of IPL 2021, we see two teams who had contrasting campaigns before the postponement of the league as RCB occupies one of the four playoff spots while KKR are lingering towards the bottom, struggling to string together a couple of victories. The match is set to take place at the Sheikh Zayed International Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Both teams will be aiming to kick off with a win, especially the Kolkata Knight Riders camp who will be hoping for different fortunes for the second half of the campaign. The Royal Challengers Bangalore who started the season with four wins in a row only managed a single win in their last three matches.
Earlier in the year when the two teams met, newcomer Glenn Maxwell played a masterful innings scoring 78 of 49 balls, leaving the Kolkata franchise a big total to chase. Knightriders really failed to get on with the chase falling short by 38 runs. The Bangalore franchise bowlers made sure the target was too tall and ensured breakthroughs at regular intervals.
Game Day: KKR vs RCB Preview
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 20, 2021
Blue Jersey tribute, Virat’s 200th IPL match for RCB, & 2 important points - everything to play for! Know about the preparations heading into the game from Captain Kohli & Coach Hesson on @myntra presents Game Day.#PlayBold #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/GhRCuplzKM
Can the Kolkata Knight Rider turn around their fortunes and produce an exceptional second half by starting with a win? Or is Bangalore Royal Challengers Bangalore going to choke under pressure?
Match Toss Time: 17:30 Local (19:00 IST)
Match Start Time: 18:00 Local (19:30 IST)
Match Venue: Sheikh Zayed International Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Head to Head
Matches Played: 28, KKR: 15, RCB:13
Weather Conditions and pitch
Team News
The Royal Challengers Bangalore will see some changes with most of their Australian contingent not making it back for the second phase and Washington Sundar injured. Notable inclusion will be that of Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera, who play for the Sri Lankan national team.
Hasaranga especially possesses the ability to move waves in the IPL and do keep an eye on the youngster as he could be in future be the face of the island nation.
The Kolkata franchise will be without their talisman bowler Pat Cummins who spearheaded their bowling department. Although they have chosen a notable name in Kiwi bowler Tim Southee to fill the gaping hole. However, whether his performance in the IPL matches that of the Australian’s levels is yet to be seen.
💜 𝕄𝔸𝕋ℂℍ𝔻𝔸𝕐 💛
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) September 20, 2021
When was the last time you were this excited for a Monday? 😉#KKRvRCB #KKR #AmiKKR #KorboLorboJeetbo #আমিKKR #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/qQssopgAuI
Probable Playing XI
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Virat Kohli (C), Devdutt Padikkal, AB de Villiers (Wk), Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Pavan Deshpande/ Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy, Kamlesh Nagarkoti.
Must-Picks
The Australian explosive all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell are two must-picks in your fantasy line-up as they are expected to provide points with the bat, ball, and also on the field.
In addition to these two, we also feel Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who is ranked No.2 in the ICC T20I rankings too adds great value. AB de Villiers too without a doubt is a must-have in your fantasy team.
Key stats
# RCB skipper Virat Kohli will be making his 200th appearance for RCB. Kohli is the only player to play 200 matches for a single franchise. The 32-year old will also become only the 5th player to play 200 matches in the IPL.
# RCB’s leading bowler Yuzvendra Chahal is five wickets away from leveling with Sunil Narine’s tally of 130 wickets. He will also become only the 6th spinner in the tournament to claim 130 wickets.
# KKR skipper Eoin Morgan is just 46 runs away from scoring 1000 runs for the franchise.
# KKR all-rounder Sunil Narine needs two more wickets to reach the tally of 150 wickets in the KKR jersey. (Combined tally of IPL and CLT20)
RCB vs KKR fantasy team
Captain and Vice-Captain picks
Prediction
Much of the same is expected from the first showing of this match. With a much stronger playing XI, Royal Challenger Bangalore looks like a really tough opposition for the Kolkata franchise. Especially after losing one of their important match-winners in form Pat Cummins, there's a lack of able bodies who could prove to be match-winners in the squad.
Cricwizz predicts the Royal challengers Bangalore to start phase 2 with a win and cement their position at No.3.
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