IPL 2021: KKR vs RCB – The Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore are scheduled to face each other off on the 03rd of May, 2021. This is the t20th match of the fourteenth edition of the Indian Premier League which is being held at home this time. The match is set to be held at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The match is scheduled to begin at 07:30 pm IST and shall be broadcasted live on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar. Fans are happy that the Indian Premier League has returned home after being held at the UAE the last time, but there shall be no in-person attendance allowed in the stadium owing to the grim situation of the country due to the pandemic. Both the teams are well-known for their performances and they will be looking to advance their chances of climbing up the points table. Let us have a look at the various aspects of this match.
KKR vs RCB – Pitch Report
The Ahmedabad stadium is known for favouring batting. T20 is a format where batting is generally favoured over bowling and people love to see big hitting in these matches. However, this track has also been known for favouring slower bowlers, especially spinners. This is why chasing might also be a good option in this track. There is no chance of any rain on the day of the match. The conditions are expected to be warm and sunny. The average first innings score in this pitch has been around 157. Teams have chased scores on this pitch for a total of four times. There have been two losses and two wins in these four matches. The two teams are placed in very different positions on the points table. The Royal Challengers Bangalore are placed in the third position in the table. It has garnered ten points in the course of the tournament. It has won five of the seven matches it has played and lost two. The Kolkata Knight Riders are placed seventh on the points table with 4 points. It has won two of the seven matches it has played in and lost two. The two teams are thus at very different junctures in the tournament. While Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to win for surviving in the tournament, the Royal Challengers Bangalore would want to advance its points and climb to the top of the table.
KKR vs RCB – Squad News
Both the two teams have not been having a good run as of late. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have lost two of the last three games after winning the first four. The Kolkata Knight Riders have also lost the last match. Despite this, both the teams have very good players. AB de Villiers has been in good form this season, and has amassed a total of 207 runs at an average of 51.75 and at a strike rate of 164.28. Harshal Patel has also been in amazing form. The fast bowler has picked 17 wickets from seven games at an economy of 9.17. There are other players that the team has who should be watched out for too. The likes of Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell spell danger for any team. Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammad Siraj should also be looked out for their bowling skills. The Kolkata Knight Riders have a very good in-form player in Eoin Morgan, their captain. Rahul Tripathi also is in good shape and does promise a good match. Mystery spin bowler Sunil Narine, big hitter Andre Russell and fast bolwer Pat Cummins should also be looked out for.
Kolkata Knight Riders (probably playing XI): Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (w), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi
Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable playing XI): Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (c), Washington Sundar, AB de Villiers (w), Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Daniel Sams, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj
KKR vs RCB – Key Stats
The two teams have played against each other for a total of 28 times. The Kolkata Knight Riders has won 15 of these matches. On the other hand, the Royal Challengers Bangalore has won13 of these matches. None of the matches have ended without a result. AB de Villiers has scored 511 runs at an average of 39.31 and at a strike rate of 156.27 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Eoin Morgan has five fifties in this Indian Premier League at a strike rate of 125. The opening partnership of the Royal Challengers Bangalore of Devdutt Pallikal and Virat Kohli has been averaging 55.83, the highest in this edition of the Indian Premier League.
Conclusion
Both the teams are extremely talented and competitive. This match is important as it poses the question of qualifying to the teams as the tournament advances. Given the nature of the players and the competition, fans can expect good cricket in the face-off between these teams.
