The Indian Premier League has kicked off grandly. It was a sensational inning from the blade of Dwayne Bravo which helped Chennai Super Kings seal an improbable victory from the jaws of defeat against Mumbai.
His quickfire innings of 68 off 30 deliveries included three fours and seven hits over the fence. Chennai was staring down the barrel when Bravo produced a magnificent performance to pull off an improbable victory in the tournament opener.
We have a double-header today (April 8th). While Delhi Daredevils will go head to head against the Kings XI Punjab in the opening match of the day, three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 3rd match of the tournament.
The Knight Riders squad has a full new looked team this time around, and Dinesh Karthik has been appointed as the new skipper of the franchise.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will be led by Virat Kohli yet again who will be looking for a turnaround in their fortunes. They have played well in patches but have failed to produce the killer punch required to win the tournament. Knight Riders have a pretty inexperienced team, but it will definitely test the oppositions. There are as many as three Indian U-19 stars in their ranks. They have been pegged after the injury sustained to Mitchell Starc.
Royal Challengers outfit has some big names in their line-up. However, they need to gel as a unit well. Captain Virat Kohli will be again looking to lead from the front.
Team Combinations
Royal Challengers Bangalore
They have several new faces in the franchise. They have a new wicket-keeper in the form of Parthiv Patel while Brendon McCullum is also the backup option.
The duo in all likelihood will open the innings. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, the two most important members of the team, will occupy the 3rd and the 4th slot, respectively.
They have as many as three all-rounders with the likes of Chris Woakes, Colin de Grandhomme and Washington Sundar.
Predicted XI: Parthiv Patel (wk), Brendon McCullum, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan, Chris Woakes, Colin de Grandhomme, Washington Sundar, Pawan Negi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav
Kolkata Knight Riders
Despite having a relatively inexperienced side, the KKR side consists of some big names which on their day have the ability to take the game away from the opposition within a blink of an eye.
The team management might be tempted to open with Sunil Narine while Chris Lyn will be the partner. Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik will occupy the 3rd and the 4th slot.
In Andre Russell have an able all-rounder is one of the most dangerous players in the shortest format of the game. Youngster Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shubman Gill are expected to make their debuts.
Predicted XI: Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Mitchell Johnson, R Vinay Kumar/Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav
Match Prediction
Bangalore is a better team on paper, but I have a gut feeling that the two-time champions will begin their tournament journey with a victory. KKR have a slight advantage over RCB in the head to head department.
While KKR had won 11, RCB has returned triumphantly on nine occasions. For this particular match, I feel KKR might end on the victorious side.
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