In the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 Royals Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be locking horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 11. The winner of this game will be facing Delhi Capitals (DC) on 13th October while the loser will not get another chance. RCB has won 9 of their 14 games in IPL 2021 and ended at the 3rd place on the points table. On teh other hand, KKR won the 7 games and with a better NRR, they qualified for the playoffs.
For RCB, Glenn Maxwell is the highest run-getter as he has amassed 498 runs in just 13 innings so far, at an average of 45.27. RCB pacer, Harshal Patel is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament so far, as he has scalped 30 wickets in 14 matches. They have won 2 of their last 3 games, including the final group stage match where KS Bharat struck a last-ball six to take his side home.
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On the other hand, for KKR, Rahul Tripathi has shown consistency with the bat and has amassed 377 runs in 13 innings. In the bowling section, Varun Chakravarthy has picked 16 wickets in this season so far. They, too, are coming off 2 wins of their last 3 games.
Royal Challengers Bangalore last played against Delhi Capitals in their final group stage game, where they won by 7 wickets. Batting RCB and KKR have faced each other 29 times in IPL history, where the Knight Riders won 16 games while the Royal Challengers managed 13 wins. Both teams registered a game each in this season’s league stage.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
With Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal finding their rhythm, RCB’s bowling attack seems to be very good hands. The Royal Challengers under Virat Kohli have a thin middle-order with AB de Villiers not getting his range, and it now rides on Glenn Maxwell’s fine form. If Maxwell has an off day then the RCB could stutter.
Probable XI: Virat Kohli (Captain), Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dan Christian, George Garton, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
The Kolkata Knight Riders have a very capable attack under Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, and Shivam Mavi, which showed in their last league match against Rajasthan Royals. On the batting from, captain Eoin Morgan contributing almost nothing. They too run on some good efforts by Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi and a good start by openers Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer. A sudden collapse can not be ruled out against an on-the-spot attack like RCB.
Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (Captain), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shakib al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy.
Fantasy XI Suggestion 1:
Kona Srikar-Bharat, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell (C), Venkatesh Iyer (VC), Daniel Christian, Harshal Patel, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi
Fantasy XI Suggestion 2:
Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill (VC), Devdutt Padikkal (C), AB de Villiers, Nitish Rana, Glenn Maxwell, Venkatesh Iyer, Daniel Christian, Harshal Patel, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal
