Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will meet at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai, on the afternoon of 18 April. This will be the first match of the first double-header of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
RCB have started the tournament with a bang. At this point, they are the only unbeaten side in the league. Glenn Maxwell, their new acquisition, has adapted seamlessly. He has already delivered a defining performance in their second win, against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Maxwell’s presence in the lineup has freed up Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, who can now play specific roles as per the requirement. They have also been aided by the success of had relatively unknown cricketers like Harshal Patel and Shahbaz Ahmed. The inclusion of Devdutt Padikkal following after his recovery from Covid-19 has made this team even stronger.
KKR had also started the tournament with a win, against Hyderabad. They seemed to be on course for a rare win against Mumbai Indians in their second match. However, some questionable strokes from their middle-order batsmen, followed by Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik’s struggles at the crease, left them with a 10-run defeat. This, despite Russell derailing the Mumbai onslaught with five wickets in his two overs.
Despite the defeat, KKR look like a settled unit. While Shubman Gill is yet to come to full flow, the other young Indian batters, Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi, have impressed. The bowling responsibilities seem to be defined as well: Harbhajan Singh has bowled only in the Powerplay, Russell only at the death, and Pat Cummins mostly in the middle overs.
This will be the last match in Chennai for these two teams. Following this, both sides will travel to Mumbai for their next set of matches. The low, slow nature of the Chepauk pitch has resulted in some fascinating matches. Batting has been difficult towards the end of the match. As a result, unlike in most other venues, teams have opted to bat first. However, a 3.30 PM match may produce a different result on an even drier track.
This match will be a battle of the bowlers. Harshal and Russell are the two bowlers with five-wicket hauls in this tournament. Alongside them, bowlers like Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar of Bangalore, and Prasidh Krishna and Shakib Al Hasan of Kolkata, have impressed.
RCB will be slightly concerned about Yuzvendra Chahal’s form: he failed to pick up a wicket in both matches despite bowling his full quota. It will be interesting to see if Kolkata give Harbhajan his full quota of four overs. If they decide to use him in one short spell per match, they may even replace him with one of the young Indian quicks once the team travels outside Chennai.
Bangalore will be confident after their two wins over KKR in the last IPL in the UAE. The RCB bowlers responsible for the wins – Siraj, Chahal, Sundar – will all feature here.
Head to head:
These two teams played the opening match in the first-ever IPL in 2008. Currently, based on 26 matches, Kolkata enjoy a slight lead with 14 wins for them and 12 wins for Bangalore.
Key Players:
Glenn Maxwell (Royal Challengers Bangalore): Maxwell is coming off a few ordinary IPL seasons. He has switched teams, and has been far from consistent. However, he has looked settled during his brief stint here. He seems to be enjoying his game, and has provided stability to their middle order. The battle between Maxwell and KKR spinners will be a key factor in this match.
Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders): Russell has played some of his most memorable matches against Bangalore (more than 300 runs with a strike rate touching 225). He has not been in form of late, and will hope to find his lost mojo here. A steadily improving bowler, Russell will also play a key role during the death overs.
Likely XIs:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (c), Shahbaz Ahmed, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Dan Christian, Kyle Jamieson, Washington Sundar, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Shakib Al Hasan, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna.
Prediction:
A very close call. Kolkata probably hold a slight edge.