The curtain raiser for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is scheduled to be played at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata which also KRR’s home ground. Ahead of the game, both the teams were seen practicing heard at the venue and the most amazing thing during the practice was that when the partners in crime for most of the year — Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav — took time out to engage in a chat, as now they will be playing against each other.

RCB bowlers, Chris Woakes, Colin de Grandhomme, and Umesh Yadav were all local boys in Kolkata last year, and the recent switch to RCB didn’t come in the way of a joyous reunion with the old Kolkata cogs. But that jolly mood, of course, is only till they cross over and get onto the field. Although the hosts have retained as many as five of their pillars who are definite starters, the move to part ways with Gambhir can go both ways for them.

Also read: Match 3 (KKR vs RCB) – X Factors Of The Game

Dinesh Karthik needs to fill in the huge boots of Kolkata’s adopted son — Gambhir — from the last seven years. The keeper-batsman showed a great sense of calm under pressure during the Nidahas Trophy Final in Colombo. The other challenge for KKR will be to keep their first eleven on the turf for as long as possible, given the fact that they have a bunch of injury prone players like Chris Lynn and Andre Russell and both of them are the crucial cogs of the team. Since, Sunil Narine’s bowling action that had been reported as illegal by the match officials during the recently concluded Pakistan Super League, his inclusion is also under threat.

On the other hand. RCB seems to be a much-balanced squad in this season, as they have given a lot of thought into compiling their bowling unit. Woakes won’t mind starting on a pitch he has had success on. Umesh too will be aware of the conditions. RCB’s spin unit is well armed too, with Chahal, an in-form Washington Sundar, and Pawan Negi — who bagged 16 wickets in IPL 2017 — donning the spinners’ roles. On the batting front, Bangalore has dependable hands of Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Brendon McCullum, who is expected to lead from the front.

Pitch Weather Conditions

There is a forecast for 80 percent showers on the match day which lead to the chances of the match being curtailed. However, under Ganguly’s leadership, the Eden outfield has been overhauled, but a truncated game might not be the best of starts for the KKR loyalists.

KKR have a slight edge over RCB with 11 wins under their belt in comparison to nine wins for the Kohli’s team. Last season, KKR won both the home and away fixtures.

Team News

KKR has done well to keep their strategy within their leadership group, especially the one pertaining to Sunil Narine’s batting position. Whether or not, that element holds any surprise or value, will be a gamble worth watching. That, in more ways than one, should define Shubman Gill’s position in the playing XI or not.

Also read: (KKR vs RCB) – 5 Things to Look Out For

On the other hand, Virat is impressed with the balance of RCB this season and also claimed that they have the best bowling attack a could have asked for and their batting has always been the best in the first decade of IPL.

Probable XIs:

RCB: Brendon McCullum(O), Quinton De Kock(O)/Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers(O), Sarfraz Khan, Chris Woakes(O), Mandeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav

KKR: Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn(O), Nitish Rana, Shubhman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell(O), Sunil Narine(O), Mitchell Johnson/Tom Curran(O), Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Shivam Mavi/Kamlesh Nagarkoti