Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are in a precarious situation heading into their match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Having lost five consecutive games, they are languishing at the bottom of the points table. Another defeat will put their playoff qualification chances in serious jeopardy.
Sunil Narine: RCB’s Nemesis
KKR’s spin wizard Sunil Narine has been a thorn in RCB’s flesh. Virat Kohli, in particular, has struggled against Narine’s bowling in recent T20 seasons. Even Faf du Plessis and Dinesh Karthik have found it difficult to score freely against him. Narine’s economical bowling (6.87 economy in 6 games) and explosive batting at the top (strike rate of 187.75) further complicates matters for RCB.
Previous Meeting: KKR’s Thumping Victory
When these two teams met earlier this season, KKR thrashed RCB by seven wickets. Narine’s 47 off 22 balls and Venkatesh Iyer’s 50 off 30 balls played a pivotal role in their dominating win.
Expected Playing 11
KKR:
- Phil Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh / Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora (if not Suyash Sharma)
RCB:
- Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (capt), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Saurav Chauhan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Reece Topley, Lockie Ferguson, Mayank Dagar (if not Yash Dayal)
Players in Spotlight
- Mitchell Starc: The most expensive buy in IPL history, Starc has had a underwhelming start with just five wickets in six games. KKR will be hoping for a turnaround from their star pacer.
- Dinesh Karthik: Karthik’s impressive batting form keeps RCB’s hopes alive. He is currently the third-highest run scorer for his team and has his eyes set on a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad.
Pitch and Conditions
Eden Gardens has seen high-scoring encounters this season. However, it remains to be seen if the pitch will offer a similar batting paradise or if KKR will prepare a slightly different surface. Winning the toss will be crucial as there might be dew in the second innings.
Key Stats
- Kohli has a dominant record against Starc in T20 cricket.
- Karthik has a history of scoring freely against Andre Russell.
- Reece Topley has dismissed Phil Salt cheaply on multiple occasions.
- Shreyas Iyer has the second-lowest strike rate among batters who have faced 100+ balls this season.
- RCB has the worst economy rate in the powerplay overs.