Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and decided to field first against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the third match of the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Here is what the captains said:
Dinesh Karthik:
“We are going to bowl first. Looks a good wicket, so we will look to chase. Should be a good contest. Everything’s been good so far touch wood things go well. This is one aspect of captaincy I have to learn. The four overseas are Lynn, Narine, Russell and Johnson.”
Virat Kohli:
“It’s a pretty good wicket and we are looking forward to put some runs on the board. Our four overseas are ABD, McCullum, de Kock and Woakes. For the first time we have a good balance with bat and ball both. This is probably the most balanced RCB side ever.”
Preview:
Both the teams have experienced contrasting fortunes in the last season as well last few years. While Kolkata Knight Riders have firmly established themselves as one of the powerhouses in the league, the Royal Challengers have not quite managed to deliver constantly and enhance their reputation.
Last year, the Knight Riders went on to make it to the playoffs while their Bangalore counterpart finished at the bottom after managing just three wins in the entire season. However, one can expect a better show from the franchise this year as they have assembled a squad that boasts of some absolutely world class batsmen and equally impressive bowlers. While the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers can tear apart any batting lineup, the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav have it in them to do wonders with the ball.
On the other hand, the Knight Riders will have their task cut out. With Gautam Gambhir not at the helm anymore, the team faces a herculean task to maintain the level that Gambhir maintained. Ahead of the eleventh season, the two-time IPL champions have undergone a sea of changes. Although they retained as many as five of the players from last year, Gambhir’s absence can hurt them.
Here is the playing eleven of both teams:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Mitchell Johnson, Kuldeep Yadav
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Quinton de Kock(w), Brendon McCullum, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Chris Woakes, Kulwant Khejroliya, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal