Overview
At the moment, Kolkata Knight Riders seem to be stuck in a dark tunnel, struggling to find the escape route. Having won just two of the seven games they have played so far, the Kolkata think-tank need to quickly find a way out of the deep abyss. A victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore on their own patch would serve as the starting point for them to get back on track.
Collective effort could be a mantra that the think-tank needs to coin for the players. Until now, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh have spearheaded the batting unit, playing at different positions. Andre Russell, N Jagadeesan and company, however, have looked short of their best form. In that backdrop, Jason Roy cracking a slew of shots against Chennai Super Kings would bring some cheer to the coaching staff. Roy seemed to be laid low by a niggle, though, which only compounds Kolkata’s woes.
Among the bowlers, Varun Chakravarthy leads the bowling charts with 10 wickets. But on the flip side, one of their fulcrums, Sunil Narine, hasn’t taken a single wicket since picking up three against Gujarat Titans. The seam-bowling quartet – Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson and Shardul Thakur – has struggled to make inroads at regular intervals.
Meanwhile, the grass seems greener on the other side. It is true that Bangalore too have a few loose nuts and bolts to worry about. Just that the main parts of the engine room are functioning smoothly and they have now won two games in a row.
Faf du Plessis is currently down with an intercostal grade-1 strain, but Bangalore have smartly used him as an Impact Sub. Du Plessis cracked another sparkling innings of 62 against Rajasthan Royals. Glenn Maxwell too put on a fine exhibition of strokeplay, while on a surface that gripped a bit, Harshal Patel bagged a three-for. The Bangalore camp would hope for a few more tracks to suit Harshal’s style of bowling as the tournament progresses.
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Time and venue
M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. 7.30 PM
Expected conditions
As it is a night game, we could see another surface that stays true, and the ball could skid through a little more as the match progresses. Bengaluru could see a few rain showers tomorrow and through the course of the week.
Head-to-head
Kolkata hold an 18-14 edge over Bangalore.
Impact Player and Possible XIs
With du Plessis and Harshal carrying injuries, Bangalore looks set to use the duo as impact players. Josh Hazlewood has been involved in training sessions. So he could be in line for his first game of the season. On the other hand, Kolkata could opt for Iyer or Vaibhav Arora. If Roy is still carrying a niggle or two, he too might be used as the impact sub.
Possible XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Jason Roy, N Jagadeesan (WK), Nitish Rana (C), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, David Wiese, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Kulwant Khejroliya , Suyash Sharma.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (C), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, M Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj.