New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday at Sheikh Zayed Stadium at Abu Dhabi.
RCB won against KKR in the matches played during the first phase of IPL 14. KKR needs to pick up well from where they left as they only won 2 games out of 7.
Meanwhile, Kohli-led franchise performed phenomenally well during India leg, winning five out of seven league matches.
Ahead of the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, here’s all you need to know:
IPL 2021: KKR v/s RCB, Match 31
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium
Match Date & Time: September 20 at 7:30 PM IST and at 6:00 PM local time
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report:
The pitch of Sheikh Zayed Stadium is batting-friendly, thus giving a chance to the batsman to score well. It can provide ample space for swings for the pacers. There is not much opportunity for the spinners. The targeted score can be counted between 160 and 170. With the second innings coming in, dew might settle in the field, thus bowling first is an excellent option.
Probable Playing XIs for KKR v/s RCB:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine/Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Shivam Mavi/Kamalesh Nagarkoti, Lockie Ferguson/Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk).
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga/Tim David, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (wk).
Top Picks for KKR vs RCB Dream11 Match:
Top Picks – Batsman
Nitish Rana: A left-handed batsman has procured a good position in Kolkata Knight Riders. He scored 201 runs in this season so far with an average of 28.71, including two half-centuries.
Devdutt Padikkal: Making his debut in the IPL last year, the 21-year-old batsman has scored 195 runs in six matches in this IPL so far. His average is 39. He scored unbeatable 101 runs against Rajasthan Royals.
Top Picks – All-Rounder
Andre Russel: One of the best all-rounders from Kolkata Knight Riders in this format of the game. He is the one who hits multiple boundaries and over boundaries flawlessly, while with his bowling strategy, gets wickets as well.
Shahbaz Ahmed: Another all-rounder who manages to tackle batting and bowling single-handedly. In the first leg, he has successfully secured four wickets and 23 runs.
Top Picks – Bowlers
Varun Chakravarthy: With his ability to generate extra bounce from the surface, this bowler is one of the significant players that can be included in the Dream 11 team.
Harshal Patel: Leading wicket-taken till now with an economy of 9.17 in this IPL. He has picked 17 wickets with 5/27 as his best figures.
Top Picks – Wicketkeeper
AB de Villiers: One of the leading wicket-keeper in the IPL, who performed brilliantly in the previous matches against KKR. He has not played very competitively in the first innings this year, but his abilities should not be taken lightly, and can be considered an important player in Dream 11.
