What better fixture to closely monitor than the one that unlocked that specific window of imagination sixteen years ago, a game that has pushed the boundaries of what is conceivable. Examine the past performances of RCB and KCR or just take a quick look at both teams, and you can see that large runs are possible even though the recently renovated M. Chinnaswamy Stadium may not be ideal for helping to win back the IPL record that was lost to Hyderabad two nights ago.
In the first week of the 2024 Indian Premier League, Klaasen and company are the buzz of the town, yet in Kolkata, the Knight Riders did outscore them. They will have good cause to think there’s plenty more where that came from, especially with a little help from the top order. Nevertheless, in their victory over Punjab Kings, RCB demonstrated exceptional skill with the ball and effectively utilized a somewhat slick pitch by fielding tall, hit-the-deck bowlers. If there’s a weakness in KKR’s lineup of powerful hitters, it’s that a couple of them might be vulnerable to the short ball.
In the context of this larger picture, be on the lookout for a dexterity battle as well. RCB has a right-heavy top order, whereas KKR has up to four left-handers in their top six. Thus, as one of two all-rounders in a six-man attack, Glenn Maxwell, whose impressive batting display is anticipated in the competition, might just end up playing an equally significant part in the other innings.
When: March 29, 19:30 IST, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs. Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2024
Where: Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
Anticipate: The captain who wins the toss choosing to pursue. This game’s pitch is located to the left [of the pavilion end] of the Punjab game’s pitch. The uneven grass covering that designated the field for the first game was absent on the eve of the game, giving the pitch a distinctive appearance visually. It is anticipated to play more true than the one that was utilized four nights prior, which experienced a significant 20-run decline from the average venue score of 196 from the previous year.
Match Summary: RCB 14 – 18 KKR. Last season, the Knight Riders defeated RCB twice in a row, scoring 200 points each time. Actually, since 2015, RCB has not defeated KKR at home.
Collective Eye:
Bengaluru Royal Challengers
Injury/Availability: There are no injuries or illnesses to report for RCB.
Strategies & Matchups: Faf du Plessis and Andy Flower made a daring decision to field just the four front-line bowlers in the opening game, allowing their two overseas all-rounders to play five overs. As a result, they were able to select Dinesh Karthik and Anuj Rawat in the starting eleven while adding Mahipal Lomror as a “Impact Sub” to increase batting depth. Neil McKenzie, the batsman, affirmed that the strategy will stick as RCB tries to comfort their big players to take calculated risks because they have enough of batting left to offer.
Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj, and Yash Dayal are the likely members of the playing eleven. [Mahipal Lomror is the Impact Replacement]
Knight Riders of Kolkata
Injury/Availability: KKR is also not concerned about any injuries.
Strategies & Matchups: Bengaluru’s opening game offered some turn, but KKR will need to decide whether to take a chance at Chinnaswamy with their three-card trick of Narine+Varun+Suyash. Sunil Narine has an outstanding head-to-head record against both Faf du Plessis [37 off 47, 1 dismissal] and Virat Kohli [106 off 106, 4 dismissals], while Varun Chakravarthy was named Player of the Match the last time he played here.
Potential Starting XI: Varun Chakravarthy, Suyash Sharma/Chetan Sakariya, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Mitchell Starc, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, and Shreyas Iyer (c). [Ramandeep Singh is the Impact Substitute]
Were you aware?
– In every T20 since 2023, Rinku Singh strikes at 273.1 in overs 19 and 20. He smashed five sixes to chase down 28 from the last five balls of the match the previous time he played Yash Dayal.
– In their match, Mohammed Siraj has removed Andre Russell twice and given up a run-a-ball total of 22 to the powerful all-round player.
– Mitchell Starc makes a return visit to the location of his IPL debut. Starc had an ER of 7.66 in the 10 games he played here, while the other pacers let up 9.47 runs per game.
What they expressed:
“I’m working on the next two packs [abs] as I now have four packs. Being lighter and leaner is definitely helping my body, and I think it shows in my performance. I watch the UFC fighters, so I set a goal for myself. It motivates me to see those guys looking so powerful and fit. I’m confident that it will improve my batting, bowling, and fielding in cricket. I use it as a stage to declare my desire to have that appearance. It won’t matter if I don’t. I plan to continue doing all these incredible things that I’ve been doing, as well as to get stronger and stay on the cricket pitch for as long as possible.” – Andre Russell regarding his development since he promised to appear like a UFC fighter at the T20 World Cup
