The clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2024 promises an exciting showdown at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on April 21st. As per the current standings, Kolkata Knight Riders hold the second position on the points table, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at the bottom.
Having played six matches, Kolkata Knight Riders have secured four victories, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru have struggled, managing only one win in seven matches.
In their recent outings, Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a narrow defeat against Rajasthan Royals, despite Sunil Narine’s remarkable performance of scoring 109 runs and taking 2 wickets. Conversely, Royal Challengers Bengaluru faced a setback against Sunrisers Hyderabad, with Faf du Plessis and Dinesh Karthik contributing 62 and 83 runs respectively in a losing effort.
Historically, Kolkata Knight Riders have had the upper hand in head-to-head encounters, winning 20 out of 34 matches against Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 14 victories.
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Both teams are expected to face challenging conditions, with Kolkata experiencing a heat wave and an ‘orange alert’ issued due to excessive humidity. The tough conditions are likely to test the players’ endurance, particularly in the afternoon game. Given the challenging conditions for bowlers, the toss-winning captain may opt to bat first to capitalize on the batting-friendly conditions.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Nitish Rana, who missed the early matches due to injury, is yet to make an appearance for KKR this season. However, Rinku Singh, who faced a few niggles, has assured his availability for the upcoming clash. Sunil Narine’s bowling has kept key RCB batsmen like Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell under control. If RCB manages to navigate through the challenging powerplay, they must avoid stagnation in the middle overs.
Probable XI: Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer/Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Glenn Maxwell’s return remains uncertain after he opted out of the previous game due to mental fatigue. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj has been effective against Sunil Narine, dismissing him twice in just 11 balls while conceding only 12 runs. Siraj’s performance will be crucial for RCB, especially considering Narine’s dominance over other bowlers like Yash Dayal and Alzarri Joseph. Additionally, Siraj has a strong track record against key KKR batsmen like Shreyas Iyer and Andre Russell, making him a key player for RCB’s bowling attack.
Probable XI: Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Alzarri Joseph, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj [Impact Substitute: Yash Dayal]
Fantasy XI Suggestion 1:
Philip Salt, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli (vc), Faf du Plessis, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell (c), Sunil Narine, Will Jacks, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Lockie Ferguson
Fantasy XI Suggestion 2:
Philip Salt, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (vc), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine (c),Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy
