The stage is set for blockbuster Sunday as two firebrand captains of our era Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gautam Gambhir of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will clash at classic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Gambhir and Kohli, both of them originally hailing from Delhi, have shared some verbal spats on the cricket field on a few occasions.
IPL 2017: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – Preview
Interestingly, KKR are standing at the second spot at the IPL points table while RCB are languishing at the bottom, yet on paper, both teams look strong and have equal chance of winning Sunday’s thriller.
Team News for Kolkata Knight Riders
For KKR, their last defeat was a truly humiliating one as the Raina-led team completely outwitted them. KKR’s primary task will be to contain Gaylestorm and no doubt, skipper Gambhir has to use Shakib Al Hasan and Trent Boult carefully to restrict the explosive Caribbean from hitting long sixes.
KKR’s another concern will be Robin Uthappa’s poor wicket keeping. He failed to dismiss Raina at last match and it proved too costly for the team as Raina smashed a match-winning 84 against Kolkata. It would be interesting to see how KKR will utilize the crucial four overs of Sunil Narine. Also, it is yet to be seen whether Narine will again open the innings for KKR with Gautam Gambhir or will he come lower down the order? Overall, a last over nail biting thriller is expected tomorrow between these two blistering IPL teams.
Team News for Royal Challengers Bangalore
Chris Gayle’s returning to form is good news for RCB. Now, Gambhir and Co. will have to even fight harder to beat the determined RCB who are desperate to improve their rankings with crucial two points more. In the last match, Kohli-Gayle’s partnership hammered 122 runs in 76 balls. This time, KKR will do everything possible to halt them.
Virat Kohli’s appearance at opening spot along with Gayle is expected to boost the morale of the entire team. With Ab de Villiers at number three and Shane Watson at number four, no doubt, the rejuvenated RCB will be a team to reckon with this season. West Indian opener might have got a single half century in his last 17 outings, but since he is back to form now – no target is too big for the star-studded RCB team.
Predicted Playing XI (Both Teams)
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Gautam Gambhir (Captain), Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav (Wicket Keeper), Chris Woakes, Nathan Coulter- Nile, Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Virat Kohli (Captain), Mandeep Singh, AB De Villers, Kedar Jadhav (Wicket Keeper), Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Pawan Negi, Adam Milne, Samuel Badree, Yuzvendra Chahal and Sreenath Aravind.
Match Prediction: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will win.
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The Match will telecast live on SONY ESPN from 8 PM onwards.
Tags: #IPL, Eden Gardens, Gautam Gambhir, Indian Premier League, IPL 10, IPL 2017, KKR, Kolkata, Kolkata Knight Riders, RCB, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Virat Kohli
