IPL has witnessed a lot of enticing matches so far in two weeks. While some teams are blossoming; some huge names have failed to come through on 22 yards. On the other hand, teams have also performed consistently.
Kolkata Knight Riders would like to continue their winning streak this season on Sunday against Bangalore. Not to mention the game would be at Eden, so they already have got a point more for the venue. Bangalore have crumbled time and again failing to find the right chord but a sigh of relief came in their last match against Gujarat.
OVERVIEW:
RCB
They were considered as strong contingent this year and started off as favourites but things have changed thereafter.
They rely too much on big names in top order and when they fail and the team is put into test, the lower middle order falls drastically.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s 3/31 helped Royal Challengers Bangalore fend off Gujarat Lions by 21 runs in their IPL 2017 clash after Brendon McCullum’s 72 for GL.
Earlier, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli’s fifties helped RCB post a total of 213/2. The addition of West Indian T20 specialist leg-spinner Samuel Badree and the presence of Kiwi pacer Adam Milne also adds to the strength.
They have lost most of the matches in the first counterpart of the game and can’t afford to lose more now if they aim to reach the playoffs.
KKR:
One of Kolkata Knight Riders’ biggest strengths is the fact that they have managed to stick together with their core players ever since the team underwent an overhaul in the 2014 auctions. Led by the maverick Gautam Gambhir, KKR remains a balanced side with Robin Uthappa, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan, Sunil Narine and Shakib al Hasan all playing together ever since.
Having always been a bowler-heavy team, KKR, this season too, has an impressive bowling arsenal at their disposal. They have made wise decisions that have paid them well. Some shrewd tactics and good performance have made it work for them.
In the match, against Delhi, Yusuf was at his hard-hitting best and Pandey’s nerve of steel innings proved that the team is ready for any bout to emerge as the toughest contingent of this year’s title.
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RCB
Virat Kohli’s major headache is to find the rhythm back, try to look for a perfect combination. AB de Villiers is out for some matches due to injury and Gayle again comes on the side.
Apart from Chahal, RCB does not have a strong Indian bowling attack. The likes of Sreenath Aravind and Stuart Binny have the experience but lack the x-factor needed in high-intensity clashes.
KKR
Lastly, it would be interesting to note how KKR play on a surface which has been revamped under the authority of Sourav Ganguly. Gone are the days when the Eden pitch would turn from ball one, a reason KKR were unbeatable at home. With a tinge of grass that offers swing, KKR’s top order would face an interesting contest,
But they look good on Eden and winning matches consistently and all the pairs going right perfectly for them should no more stress Gambhir.
KKR draws their strength from Gambhir’s aggressive captaincy, and thus the inclusion of Yadav and Nathan Coulter Nile is the big factor. After Chris Lynn’s injury, the experiment has been moderately successful but Pathan as said as a team they chose to focus on the positives.
STRENGTHS
RCB
With Kohli and Gayle up the order, the duo is a nightmare for bowlers. Just scoring his 10,000 T20 runs, Gyale must ooze with confidence. He looked well in his last game too.
Tormentor-in-chief, Gayle (77 of 38 balls) and skipper Kohli (64 off 50 balls) hit contrasting fifties and added 122 runs off 76 balls for the first wicket in quick time. Gayle changed his gears, soon after reaching the landmark, to lead RCB’s run charge. He tonked Ravindra Jadeja for two fours and two sixes in a row in the eighth over.
Once Gayle and Kohli set the tone for the big total, the onus was on Travis Head and Kedar Jadhav to take the team past the 200-run mark. The middle order with Jadhav to bat on is always a boon for RCB.
KKR
In the slam-bang version of the game, the onus lies on the availability of a large pool of cricketers who can portray the roles of a batsman and bowler to perfection, an aspect where KKR thrives upon.
Having players like Pathan and Pandey in middle orders is a blessing . Both Pandey and Gambhir are one of the contenders for orange cap this season.
The pace attack graced by Yadav, Boult and woakes is gonna be a help at their fortress. The biggest strength of the side that it has plethora of balanced talents that keeps the team performance balanced and upto mark.
HEAD TO HEAD
RCB and KKR have faced each other 18 times in IPL so far. Both the teams played all the seasons of the IPL. Nine matches won by RCB while KKR won 9 matches also. No match ended in draw or in no result.
PREDICTION
Any team playing on home ground do have an advantage. But also the fact the way KKR is performing presently makes them favourites.
KKR are consistent and thus the prediction goes that this game would be an absolute thriller with KKR trying to keep winning streak going and RCB trying to retain their status back.
A score of 170-180 would be good for batting first but this game’s fate would be decided by the bowlers.