Enduring a forgettable outing in the first half of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), two-time former champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look for reversal of fortunes when they resume their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second phase of T20 league in Abu Dhabi on Monday (September 20).
While Virat Kohli’s RCB is third in the eight-team standings with 10 points from seven games, 2012 and 2014 champions KKR are languishing at the seventh spot with just two wins out of seven ties. And Eoin Morgan-led KKR would be hoping to make a turnaround, just like 2014 edition when they won nine games in a row to claim the title.
KKR chief mentor David Hussey also exuded optimism about scripting a turnaround, despite a nightmarish first half. “All we have to do is win this … We have done it before and so we can do it again… I feel we have the squad to do it also. You qualify for the finals and whole competition starts again,” the Australian said.
But it would be easier said than done for KKR as they face RCB, a formidable outfit, whose captain Kohli would be gunning for success with the bat after announcing his decision to quit as India’s T20 skipper following the T20 World Cup which will be held after the IPL in UAE.
Even though KKR leads in head-to-head record against RCB, winning 18 and losing 13 out of 28 fixtures played between the two sides, the 38-run defeat against Kohli’s team in the first half of the event in Chennai would be fresh on their players’ minds.
RCB are currently placed in a comfortable position and would be hoping for Kohli to play freely and score big runs, especially after taking the big call of relinquishing T20 captaincy.
With Glenn Maxwell (223 runs from 7 games) and AB de Villiers (207 runs from 7) leading the run scorers chart till now for the team, RCB’s batting unit looks ominous. Kohli (198), by his own standards, has been a little disappointing and Devdutt Padikkal (195) too would be looking for a consistent show.
On the bowling front, Mohammed Siraj and Kiwi Kyle Jamieson would lead the attack which also has Harshal Patel, Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal, who would be desperate to answer the selectors after being ignored from India’s T20 World Cup squad.
The additions of Sri Lanka duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera, who replaced Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson, will also hold the team in good stead as they have a good understanding of the UAE conditions.
Teams (from):
Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (capt), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (capt), Navdeep Saini, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Rajat Patidar, Dushmantha Chameera, Pavan Deshpande, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Sachin Baby, Wanindu Hasaranga, George Garton, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Devdutt Padikkal, Kyle Jamieson, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Akash Deep, AB de Villiers.
What time does the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore begin?
The IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore is scheduled to start at 07:30 pm. The toss will take place at 07:00 pm.
Where is the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore?
The IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Which TV channel will broadcast the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore?
The IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore will broadcast LIVE on Star Sports 1/HD.
Where can I catch the live streaming of the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore?
The live streaming of the IPL 2021 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore will be available on the Hotstar app and website. You can also catch the live commentary/scorecard and latest updates of the match here at zeenews.india.com.
(with PTI inputs)
