IPL match preview: Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Kolkata's pursuit of a third Indian Premier League title continues, while Bangalore are still chasing a first.
Virat Kohli.The Kolkata Knight Riders will go into this match in the wake of defeat to the Punjab Kings. They require a prompt turnaround, but will be limited by the absence of a few local and international players.
KKR, indeed, have lost Indian batsman and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan. Iyer has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury, while Al Hasan has commitments to his country. England batsman Jason Roy has been added to the squad as a replacement.
Bangalore will be full of confidence after beating the Mumbai Indians, who have won the IPL a record five times, recently. This is Bangalore's chance to build on their momentum with another big win over a team with more titles than them.
Their middle-order was hardly tested against Mumbai, with Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell and more needing time out in the middle to find an early groove. The Knight Riders bowlers could capitalise on this lack of time at the crease.
The Royal Challengers have beaten the Knight Riders three times in their last five meetings. Four of those five results sided with the team that batted second.
Sunil Narine endured a rare poor performance in defeat to Punjab. Conditions at Eden Gardens could be more conducive to Kolkata's West Indian recruit. They might even give the spinner the new ball inside the opening powerplay.
South African batsman Faf du Plessis, as captain and opener, will be key for Bangalore again. He was masterful in combination with Virat Kohli against Mumbai. Both batted at a strike-rate of 160-plus against Mumbai.
This will arguably be one of the biggest contests during the round-robin of the 2023 IPL. It's a power-packed Bangalore batting unit versus a crafty Kolkata bowling attack. Bangalore should take the contest for a second win on the trot.