IPL 2023 : Teams Preview-RCB vs KKR [Match – 36]

There are a few big rivalries in the IPL within teams, and one such Rivalry which is always a blockbuster is between the Royal challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders. The last time these two teams met at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, it was a huge win for the KKR as they restricted RCB from even getting close to the target in the run chase.

But Things have gone in Contrast for both teams as the IPL progressed. After the triumph against the RCB, KKR almost lost its touch as they have been outplayed by their opposition in the last 4 games and the one they played last against the Chennai Super Kings. The CSK batting outwitted KKR’s bowling as they gave away 230+ runs in the full quota of 20 overs.

On the other side, Royal Challengers Have given their 100% on the field and held their nerves to secure a hard-fought win against the Rajasthan Royals. They have won 2 consecutive games in their last 3 games and will be very confident and optimistic about going for the 3rd win in a row.

How can KKR break the shackles of losses?

The KKR has to look for a spot to bring back Shardul Thakur. He could be one of those batsmen who could play a similar sort of innings that he played against the RCB when they met for the last time. Since the Top order of KKR hasn’t been up to the mark, they could give Shardul Thakur a promotion in the batting order which could take some pressure off Rinku Singh.

Shardul Thakur had his best innings so far this season with the bat and it came against the same Team. So there is no reason for Shardul Not Playing the game against the RCB where the Top order Batting has been so fragile. Other Than Shardul Thakur, The English Batsman Jason Roy will be crucial when it comes to stabilizing the KKR’s batting. His Last knock against the CSK showed some serious form that he has currently.

KKR’s spinners will have a pivotal role to play against the mighty top order of RCB and they will have their confidence high as the spinners scalped 9 out of 10 wickets in the last outing. Major responsibilities will be on Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. The young mystery spinner Suyash Sharma will also be a threat as he also had taken a few crucial wickets of the middle order of RCB in the last game they played.

Can RCB retaliate With a win ?

The Bangalore Team has shown absolute grit and determination in their last 2 games where a slight failure in the batting also didn’t hurt them much as bowling has been the Hallmark of RCB’s win in most of the games. It was always Mohammad Siraj in the Powerplay who struck for them and Made sure the Top order collapses if the opposition. When it came to the middle overs, Wanindu Hasaranga was always Pivotal in restricting those runs and getting 1 or 2 wickets.

Death Bowling was something that always concerned RCB, but in the last 2 games especially against the Rajasthan Royals Harshal Patel, who came in as Impact Player gave a clinical performance with 3 wickets from his spell. With the Announcement of the Return of Josh Hazelwood, RCB’s bowling at the death can only get better.

There are a few concerns with the middle and lower order as Dinesh Karthik is set to give the performances of a finisher and He will look to utilize the opportunity to the fullest if it comes his way. The RCB’s Batting unit has to keep in mind the essentials while tackling the spinners of KKR and should look to not take too many risks when playing the mystery spinners. We all are very well aware of the fact that RCB’s batting is so strong that they can accelerate against any of the bowlers they wish to go after, but they have to find a way to not let their wickets slip away easily.

Match-ups to look for!

Virat Kohli vs Sunil Narine: This is probably the most exciting match-up of this game as both the players are pivotal for their team with the skill they bring. However, Sunil Narine has an edge over the RCB’s star batsman as he has lost his wicket to Narine on 4 occasions including the last game played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Virat has Hardly scored around 100 runs in 100 oddballs against Narine in 14 IPL matches which clearly indicates that he has certain issues playing Him and that could be detrimental for the team if Narine is able to strike early on in the innings. He needs to make sure he isn’t allowing Narine to settle when he comes into bowl because non-aggression with the approach towards Narins’s bowling could be a lethal blow for the RCB.

Harshal Patel vs Rinku Singh: It has been a brilliant season for Rinku Singh with the bat as he averages almost 59 and has a strike rate of almost 158 this season. He has been the only batsman from the KKR’s side who has scored some runs with a decent Strike Rate and consistency. He will play a big part in the KKR’s batting line-up and RCB’s bowling will definitely not want him to score Big.

One Such Bowler who could be deceptive for Rinku Singh is Harshal Patel as he will always have the duties of bowling in the Death. Rinku Singh is almost giving the finishing touches and he also had a major part in the victories of KKR this season. He is one such player who will look to go after the RCB’s bowling.

Conclusion

This game is going to be a thriller as we might get to see small contests between the bowlers and the batsmen of both teams where they will want to play in accordance with their plans. Could also See Some New performances and impactful players who are willing to take their side over the line