RCB Vs KKR Preview: Can KKR expose RCB's middle-order woes?

RCB Vs KKR Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders defeated RCB by a huge margin of 81 runs in their meet-up earlier in the IPL 2023.

The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host the 36th match of the Indian Premier League 2023, which is scheduled to take place between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders.

RCB won their last match against the Rajasthan Royals by a margin of 7 runs, bringing their total to 4 wins from 7 matches played so far. They will look to continue their winning momentum in the upcoming match against KKR, hoping to secure another victory and climb further up in the points table.

KKR are currently struggling in this season of IPL, having lost their last four consecutive matches. With only 2 wins from 7 matches played, they are currently facing a challenging situation. In their previous match against CSK, they suffered a significant defeat by a margin of 49 runs. In the upcoming match against RCB, KKR will be looking to bounce back and secure a much-needed win, especially as they have already defeated RCB once this season.

Earlier this season, KKR defeated RCB by 81 runs. KKR recovered from 89/5 and posted 204/7 with impressive innings from Shardul Thakur, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Rinku Singh. KKR's spinners Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and debutant Suyash Sharma then took 9 wickets together, restricting RCB to 123 and securing the victory.

RCB Vs KKR: Pitch Report

The Chinnaswamy stadium is famous for its batting-friendly conditions, with a high expectation that batsmen will dominate, while the bowlers will find it challenging. In such conditions, the bowlers must be very precise in executing their skills to contain the opposition's batters, as there is little margin for error, which makes it a difficult task for them.

RCB Vs KKR: Team News

RCB won their last match against Rajasthan Royals and are expected to stick with the same playing XI in the upcoming match against KKR, as they look to continue their winning momentum. Faf, who played as an impact player in the previous game due to injury, is expected to continue in the same role. It is possible that Josh Hazelwood will be available for this match, as Stand-in skipper Virat Kohli provided an update on Hazelwood's injury following the game against RR. He said, “Hopefully, Josh comes in next game.”

KKR have been struggling lately, and their struggle is reflected in the frequent changes they have made to their playing XI in the last two matches. In the upcoming match against RCB, KKR will likely look to strengthen their bowling attack by bringing in Shardul Thakur to replace Kulwant Khejroliya and Tim Southee to replace David Wiese. Venkatesh iyer will come as an impact player.

RCB Vs KKR: Head-to-head

Matches: 31

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 14

Kolkata Knight Riders: 17

RCB Vs KKR: Players to watch

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis

Despite his injury concerns, Faf du Plessis, the current holder of the orange cap, has been in outstanding form with the bat in the tournament. He has scored a whopping 405 runs in just seven matches this season, cementing his position as the leading run-scorer. In the last three matches, Faf has showcased his remarkable form by scoring 62 runs against CSK, 84 runs against PBKS, and 62 runs against RR in the last match. With the upcoming match against RR, Faf will likely aim to maintain his excellent form and hit big once again.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Jason Roy

Jason Roy has made an impressive start to his KKR IPL journey by scoring 104 runs in the last two matches, including a blazing 61 off just 26 balls in the last match against CSK. Despite KKR losing both matches, Roy's performances have been a bright spot for the team, particularly as their openers have struggled to score runs. As they prepare to face RCB in the upcoming match, Jason Roy will undoubtedly be eager to continue his good form and make a significant contribution to his team's success.

RCB Vs KKR: Probable Playing XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore Predicted Playing XI:

Virat Kohli (c), Faf du Plessis (impact player), Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suyash Prabhudessai, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, Vijaykumar Vyshak

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:

N Jagadeesan (wk), Jason Roy, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Tim Southee, Suyash Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

RCB Vs KKR: Match Facts

Virat Kohli requires 97 more runs to reach the milestone of 7000 runs in IPL.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have won 14 out of 31 matches played, while the Kolkata Knight Riders have emerged victorious in 17 matches.

Dinesh Karthik needs 63 more runs to reach 4500 runs in IPL.

RCB Vs KKR: Live Broadcasting

IND: Star Sports Network (TV) | JioCinema (Live Streaming)

UK: DAZN, Sky Sports

AUS: Fox Sports, Kayo Sports