The Qualifier 1 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season proved to be a rather lackluster and one-sided affair. The Kolkata Knight Riders, who finished at the top of the table during the league stage, comfortably defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday to secure their place in the final.
In anticipation of the next big match, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has made a bold prediction regarding the Eliminator. This crucial knockout match will see the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) face off against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad tonight.
Sunil Gavaskar foresees another one-sided contest, believing that RCB will have little difficulty overcoming RR, who ended their league campaign with four consecutive losses. His confidence in RCB stems from their recent performance, where they have appeared nearly invincible, winning six matches in a row to qualify for the playoffs.
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Discussing his views on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar noted, “Rajasthan has lost four matches. They have not played their last game well and have been out of practice. Unless they do something extraordinary, like KKR did today despite not playing for 11 days, it could very well turn out to be another one-sided game tomorrow. My fear is that it will be another one-sided game where RCB will walk all over RR. I will be surprised if that does not happen.”
He further highlighted RCB’s remarkable comeback during the league stage. Spending much of the season in the lower half of the points table, RCB’s resurgence was impressive. Their playoff qualification hinged on a decisive 27-run victory over the reigning champions, Chennai Super Kings, in their final league game.
Sunil Gavaskar also credited the leadership and motivation provided by key RCB players, particularly captain Faf du Plessis and former skipper Virat Kohli. “You have to say that their leading players, Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli, are the ones mostly encouraging the other players. Other team members can quickly get into a situation like, ‘Oh, we have lost everything.’ Both of them have played extraordinary cricket,” Gavaskar explained.
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Interestingly, RCB and RR have already clashed once this IPL season in Jaipur, where RR emerged victorious with a six-wicket win. Despite this, RCB holds a slight edge in their overall head-to-head record, having won 15 out of the 31 encounters.
As cricket fans eagerly await the Eliminator, the stage is set for what promises to be a thrilling match, with RCB looking to continue their winning streak and RR aiming to defy expectations and turn their fortunes around.
