The IPL returns to the Sheikh Zayed Stadium as Kolkata Knight Riders square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore in match number 31 of this IPL 2021.
The Eoin Morgan-led KKR side didn’t have a great first half. They won just two games and lost five. They are currently second-last on the points table and need to turn things around quickly. Tim Southee will replace Pat Cummins for the second leg of IP 2021.
Meanwhile, RCB have been in good form and have had a solid start. They won five out of their seven games and are third on the points table. A lot of things have clicked well for RCB and they will be looking to continue from where they left off back in April-May. Wanindu Hasaranga will replace Adam Zampa, Dushmantha Chameera will replaces Daniel Sams, George Garton replaces Kane Richardson, Tim David Davidreplaces Finn Allen, Akash Deep replaces Washington Sundar for RCB in the second leg of the IPL 2021.
RCB also won by 38 runs the last time these teams met and are favorites once again. We can expect a thrilling encounter between these two sides.
KKR vs RCB Dream11 Match Details :
Match Details
Match – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – 31st match
Venue – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Time – 7:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT
Where to watch live – Star Sports Network, Hotstar
KKR vs RCB Dream11 Match Pitch Report :
The surface is good for the bowlers who have variations and change-ups. We can expect a good match with the two teams coming head to head in a close contest, but the team batting first will hold an advantage. Batting might be difficult.
Avg first innings score: 162 (22 matches in IPL 2020 at Abu Dhabi)
Record of chasing teams: Won – 13, Lost – 9, Tied – 0
Head-to-Head
Overall
Played – 28 | Kolkata Knight Riders – 15 | Royal Challengers Bangalore– 13 |N/R – 0
In the UAE
Played – 3 | Kolkata Knight Riders – 1 | Royal Challengers Bangalore– 2 |N/R – 0
KKR vs RCB Dream11 Probable Playing XIs :
Kolkata Knight Riders :
- They lost 5 games out of the 7 and are standing at second last position in the points table.
- Their star bowler Pat Cummins withdrew from IPL, Tim Southee is the replacement for them.
- They will be eager to bounce back in the second half and will be looking to start off on a good note.
- Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill will probably open the inning for the KOL team.
- Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine and Eoin Morgan will take care of the middle order.
- Andre Russel and Dinesh Kartik will be the lower order batters of the team.
- Sunil Narine and Andre Russel will be the key allrounders of the team.
- Eoin Morgan will lead the KOL team as a Captain. He is also good Batsman.
- Dinesh Karthik will do the wicket keeping for KOL team.
- Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy will take care of the spin bowling of the team.
- Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi and Tim Southee/Lockie Ferguson will lead the pace attack.
Probable Playing XIs : Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson/Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna
Royal Challengers Bangalore :
- Royal Challengers had a brilliant run in the previous half of the IPL.
- With 5 wins out of their 7 games, they are standing at 3rd position in the points table.
- Although they lost their last game against PBKS, they will start as favourites going into this game.
- They have signed a brilliant replacement in form of Wanindu Hasranga, who has been in top form in recent series.
- Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikal will probably open the inning for the BLR team. Both are well known inning openers.
- Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell and AB Devilliers will take care of the middle order.
- Shahbaz Ahmed and Wanindu Hasranga will take care of the lower order.
- Wanindu Hasranga and Glenn Maxwell will be the two best allrounders of the team.
- Virat Kohli will lead the BLR team as a Captain. He is also a good Batsman.
- AB de Villiers will do the Wicket Keeping duty for his BLR team.
- Wanindu Hasranga and Shahbaz Ahmed will lead the spin attack of the team.
- Mohammed Siraj and Kyle Jamieson will take care of the pace attack for his team.
Probable Playing XIs : Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
KKR vs RCB Dream11 Match Important Pick Choices :
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has had a scratchy year so far. He hasn’t really been consistent across all three formats. In the initial phase of the IPL, the RCB skipper mustered 198 runs in seven games at a strike-rate of 121.47. But he is a quality player and can be backed.
Andre Russell
Andre Russell will be a top captaincy option. The Jamaican all-rounder has been inconsistent for most part of 2021 in T20 cricket but it is his record against RCB that makes him standout. He has smashed 370 runs averaging 46.25 while striking at 215.12 against them. Thus, he will be the one to watch out for.
Ab De Villiers
AB de Villiers was in scintillating form in the first half of the IPL 2021. The South African superstar amassed 207 runs and averaged 51.75. Moreover, he had a strike-rate of 164.28. Hence, he will be a popular vice-captaincy option.
Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine could be a good option as vice-captain. The mystery spinner was in top form in the CPL where he took 12 wickets at an economy rate of 4.37. He can also tonk it around with the bat and get some crucial runs.
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill had a torrid run in the first half of this season. He could accumulate only 132 runs. However, he was excellent in the UAE last year when he got 440 runs in the season. Thus, the KKR opener will be hoping that he can return to form.
Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy could be a crucial bowling option. The Tamil Nadu mystery spinner has been very impressive in the last couple of seasons. He took 17 wickets in 2020 and has taken seven in 2021.
Kyle Jamieson
Kyle Jamieson was expensive with the ball but he constantly chipped away with wickets in the first half of this season. He took nine wickets. Plus, he can tonk it around with the bat as well and has a strike-rate of 143.90.
Shahbaz Ahmed
Shahbaz Ahmed might be a utility option. With Washington Sundar ruled out, the left-arm spinning all-rounder will be key for RCB. He has taken four wickets and he can strike some big blows with the bat as well.
Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik was batting decently in the first half but he wasn’t getting the big scores. He scored 123 runs at an average of 30.75 and a strike-rate of 138.20.
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KKR vs RCB Important Player Battles :
R. Tripathi vs M. Siraj – 35(31) : 2W
E. Morgan vs Y. Chahal – 91(110) : 2W
D. Kartik vs Y. Chahal – 30(33) : 2W
KKR vs RCB Dream11 Match Predictions :
- Royal Challengers Bangalore are expected to win the match.
- Virat Kohli can play a good innings (expecting 50+)
- Nitish Rana can also score in this game (Expecting 40+)
- Eoin Morgan can be a good differential pick while batting 1st.
- Devdutt Padikkal can be player to watch out for this game.
KKR vs RCB Dream11 Match GL Teams :
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