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KKR will be taking on RCB in Match 10th of the Indian Premier League 2021 in Chennai this Sunday.
Both the teams will be arriving in the contest after facing contrasting fortunes in their previous games of the IPL 2021.
While KKR suffered a disappointing 10-run loss to Mumbai Indians (MI) in their last match, RCB conquered the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) challenge by a margin of 6 runs.
Earlier days of the tournament, but RCB stand on the top of the points table after two wins from two matches, including a victory over MI as well, whereas KKR are languishing in the bottom half of the standings with an opening game win over SRH followed by the loss versus MI.
Key Players
AB de Villiers contributed tremendously to RCB win over MI in their opening game of the tournament. The great South African batsman played a scintillating knock of 48 runs off 27 balls, including four fours and two sixes, to make a telling difference in the outcome of the game. De Villiers missed out in the next outing versus SRH, but his form in that first game and overall ability will retain him among the danger men for the oppositions. He boasts of a stellar IPL record to his name, having scored 4,898 runs at an average of 40.14 and a strike-rate of 151.92 across 171 matches.
Virat Kohli, the RCB captain, was his team’s second-highest run-maker with an important 29-ball 33 in difficult conditions versus SRH in the last match. In the win over MI as well, Kohli had made a useful thirty. But while satisfied to have contributed to his team’s victories, the skipper and great batsman will be raring to go in the match against KKR. Kohli has now scored 5,944 runs in his IPL career across 194 matches with an average of 38.10 and a strike-rate of 130.52, including 5 hundreds and 39 half-centuries.
Glenn Maxwell is currently RCB’s top run-getter of the IPL 2021 after vital contributions in both of his team’s wins so far. After scoring an important 28-ball 39 in the victory over MI, Maxwell backed it up with an extremely crucial, measured knock of 59 off 41 balls in the win against SRH. Released by Punjab Kings (PBKS) last winter, Maxwell is relishing the clarity and consistency provided to him by the RCB management. Maxwell will pose a massive challenge for the KKR bowlers at Chepauk when they face up against him in the next match on Sunday.
Nitish Rana has been fantastic as an opening batsman for KKR in the IPL 2021 so far. Rana made a superlative 80 off 56 deliveries against SRH and then backed it up with another fine half-century – 57 runs off 47 balls – against MI. Rana, though, will be slightly disappointed not to have carried on and finished off the last match, as his untimely dismissal triggered a poor KKR collapse. Rana has been commendably able to overcome the trauma of being in extended isolation upon testing COVID-19 positive ahead of the tournament. The left-hand batsman is one of KKR’s most important players, with 1,574 runs in his overall IPL career at a strike rate of 135.33.
Andre Russell, the premier KKR all-rounder, was fantastic with the ball against MI and ended up with one of the quickest IPL five-fers, taking 5/15 off just two overs. However, if KKR are to win and win consistently, they need their middle-order power-hitter from Jamaica to once again produce the goods with the willow. Russell hasn’t got going as a batter in the tournament yet, but boasts of 1,531 runs in his overall IPL career at a strike-rate of 179.69. The impact of Russell’s steady bowling will be accentuated if he starts delivering again as a batsman. KKR will hope that it happens against RCB.
Prediction
The fixture on Sunday puts two talented but flawed teams against each other, although RCB do pose the look of a stronger team, with more cover in all bases. They have a strong top 6, including young Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers, and also a bowling line-up where young Indian pacers like Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj have emerged as heroes in conditions at Chepauk.
And while KKR’s bowling seems to be working fine, they are in urgent need of more collective and consistent batting efforts. The two-time IPL champions need the likes of Shubman Gill, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell to come to the fore with the bat and perform to their level best.
Given everything, however, RCB are expected to continue their winning run in the tournament.
