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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns at D Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai on March 30.
The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League has kicked off to a great start. The match no. 6 of the IPL 2022 will witness two of the biggest clubs in the league, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders clash at D Y Patil Stadium on Wednesday. RCB are coming into this game off a loss while KKR won their season opener on Saturday.
RCB, led by Faf du Plessis, suffered a five-wicket loss against Punjab Kings in a high-scoring contest at this very ground on Sunday evening. Faf du Plessis struggled badly in the first half of his innings, scoring only 23 off 34 balls but one tactical mistake from Punjab Kings and he pounced on them. Du Plessis finished with 88 off 57 while Virat Kohli added a 29-ball 41*. Dinesh Karthik’s late blitz of 32* off 14 powered RCB to 205/2.
For Punjab Kings, Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan put on a 71-run partnership in seven overs. Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s 43 off 22 was a crucial knock in the middle overs. Liam Livingstone (19 off 10) and Shahrukh Khan (24* off 20) contributed as well. But the real difference was Odean Smith’s 8-ball 25*. RCB’s bowling looked toothless for the most part and they’d be hoping to get it right against KKR.
KKR clinched the victory in the season opener over the defending champions CSK by six wickets. Umesh Yadav rocked the Super Kings back with a terrific new ball display. CSK’s newly appointed captain Ravindra Jadeja struggled to get going. MS Dhoni turned the clock back with a 38-ball 50* to take CSK to a respectable total of 131/5. Chasing the target, KKR had handy contributions from their top five. Ajinkya Rahane top-scored with a 44 off 34 while captain Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten to take the team home with nine balls to spare.
Key Players
Faf du Plessis is amongst the most consistent players in the T20 circuit. The former South African skipper brings immense experience and value, having amassed over 7000 runs in the T20 format at an average of 31 and strike rate of 130. Du Plessis had scored 634 runs in the IPL 2021 at 45 average and 138 strike rate. He has started the 2022 season well, hammering 88 off 57 in the last game.
Shreyas Iyer has been in magnificent form in recent times, scoring three consecutive fifties against Sri Lanka. Iyer has been consistent and his recent improvement on the scoring rate makes him a key. He has 4429 runs to his credit in T20 cricket at an average of 34 and strike rate of 130. Shreyas has registered two hundreds and 28 fifties in the T20 format.
Varun Chakravarthy is amongst the most skillful spinners in the world and has been a key player for KKR in the last couple of years. He has picked 39 wickets in the format at an economy of 6.64, including best figures of 5 for 20. Varun was superb in the last game against CSK, picking 1 for 23 off his four overs. Chakravarthy will be a key match-up against the RCB batting unit.
Mohammed Siraj has evolved into a terrific all-phase pace bowler in T20 cricket. The 28yr old has the speed, accuracy and yorkers up his sleeve. He has taken 110 wickets in overall T20s at an economy of 8.16, including three four-fers. Siraj was magnificent in the last IPL season, snaring 11 scalps at 6.79 rpo. The right arm pacer would be eager to bounce back after the disappointing first game.
Prediction
RCB and KKR share an intense rivalry in the IPL. As far as the head to head record is concerned, KKR have the edge with 17 victories compared to 13 by RCB. In the last five matches, RCB have won three while KKR have claimed two.
KKR bowlers found significant assistance at Wankhede Stadium but here at DY Patil, that might not be the case. However, their spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine is perfectly capable of tying down the RCB batters. Death bowling remains a concern for them. The batting department could lack firepower in a high-scoring game.
RCB do have a good batting line-up and with a few tweaks they can get the best out of it. The bowling department is their stronger suit but the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasaranga had an off day against PBKS. Glenn Maxwell’s absence could be felt as well. But having played their last game here at DY Patil Stadium, RCB will go into this fixture as slight favourites.
