IPL match preview: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders

Bangalore will go into this match on the back of successive victories. But there are still plenty of questions around their inability to score runs around Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessi and Glenn Maxwell. Others really need to start contributing significantly around the star trio.

Bengaluru isn't as much of a fortress for the Royal Challengers as it might have been in the past. They've endured a few hiccups at their home venue this season - and this is another opportunity for them to set the record straight.

Kolkata are struggling in the wake of four successive defeats. Their pursuit of a third IPL title is not going according to plan and, from here on in, they're really going to have to play out of their skins to reach the play-off stage of the tournament.

KKR will remain without Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan for the rest of the 2023 IPL. These are big absences in the batting and bowling departments. Nitish Rana has struggled with the captaincy and the two-time champions need swift improvement all around.

RCB and KKR have a long history in the IPL and have all but taken it in turns to beat each other in their last five meetings. They played each other earlier in the 2023 IPL, with Kolkata triumphant on that occasion.

Shardul Thakur was key to Kolkata's victory over Bangalore the last time they met in early April 2023. The Indian all-rounder could put in another big performance here with bat and ball. KKR's overseas players have not been at their best, so it's likely time to look to the local resources more frequently.

Mohammed Siraj is currently the leading wicket-taker in this season's IPL and for good reason. The RCB strike bowler has been bowling with good pace and accuracy. He has generated genuine swing into the right-handers with great regularity. 

The Royal Challengers look set to make it five losses on the trot for Kolkata, whose 2023 IPL campaign has hit some serious speed bumps. Even if others don't fire around Kohli and company, RCB's batting in particular remains a huge threat.