Indian Premier League 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – 9th Match Preview and Updates

Cricket

After losing their first game by 7 runs (D/L method) to Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders will be concerned about facing RCB in their second game. And the reason is self-evident! King Kohli is back in form, and Faf is hitting the ball like a canon. Kolkata Knight Riders will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2023’s ninth match at Eden Gardens on April 6th at 7:30 p.m.

In their first game of the season, KKR faced Punjab Kings. Batting first, Punjab Kings set the visiting KKR a target of 192 runs. After putting pressure on Punjab Kings in the early stages, Kolkata’s bowling fell short. KKR’s chase did not go as planned, with the team losing two wickets in the first two overs. The innings was led by impact player Venkatesh Iyer and skipper Nitish Rana, but KKR lost due to a low scoring rate. Andre Russell attempted to make an impact late in the game, scoring 35 runs off 19 balls. However, rain ruined KKR’s chances. The Knight Riders were defeated by a score of 7 runs (D/LMethod).

RCB, on the other hand, faced the Mumbai Indians in their first game of the season. Even after limiting MI to 48 runs for the loss of four wickets in the first half, RCB’s bowling unit gave MI plenty of chances. The RCB openers delivered a stellar performance in the face of a 172-run deficit. The 148-run partnership between Faf and Kohli off 89 balls was enough to chase down the target in 16.2 overs. With the win over MI, RCB moved up to third place with 2 points.

RCB has won three of their last five meetings with KKR. RCB held KKR to 128 runs in their most recent IPL 2022 match. Wanindu Hasarnga took four wickets during the game. With three wickets in hand, RCB chased the target in the final over of the game. Sherfane Rutherford (28) and Shahbaz Ahmed (27) made crucial late runs in the tense game. RCB has won three of the last five games at Eden Gardens.

The 9th Match between Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore will take place on April 6th, 2023 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Match Details to Note

Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 9th Match, Indian Premier League 2023

Date: April 06, 2023 (Thursday)

Time: 7:30 PM IST

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Kolkata Knight Riders (Match Odds – 2.20):

Preview:

The injury-plagued Every day, the news about KKR becomes more difficult. First, Shreyas Iyer was ruled out, and now it’s Shakib Al Hasan’s turn. With Lockie Ferguson out and Litton Das on the way, they only have 5 international players in camp. Nitish Rana, the newly appointed captain, faces a difficult task in leading this team forward. KKR has chosen Mandeep Singh and Rahmanullah Gurbaz as openers over Venkatesh Iyer. Gurbaz had a solid PSL season, scoring at a 150 percent strike rate. However, with Anukul Roy at third, the KKR top order does not appear intimidating or experienced.

KKR’s core is their middle order. Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, and Andre Russell will be the players to keep an eye on throughout the season. But Rana hasn’t played well against RCB since his heroics (85 off 46 balls) at Eden Gardens in 2019. Rana is expected to deliver a captain’s knock. In the first game, Iyer scored 34 points on 28 runs. Though he was needed to help stabilize the innings, he failed to impress as an impact player. We can hope for more from him as a KKR impact player. In the last six games against RCB, Andre Russell has scored at a strike rate of 200 or higher. His last game at Eden Gardens against RCB saw him score 65 off 25 balls and hit 9 sixes. Russell has hit 22 sixes in these six games. We expect him to be our top batter during the KKR innings.

The KKR bowlers couldn’t find a rhythm to limit Punjab Kings’ runs. Tim Southee, the world’s leading T20I wicket-taker, took two wickets but allowed 54 runs. Umesh Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy delivered an impressive economy. To compete with the likes of Kohli and Faf, KKR will need Narine and Thakur to shine, or else another big score to chase will be on the cards.

Full Squad:

Nitish Rana (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N. Jagadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das, Mandeep Singh, Shakib Al Hasan

Players to watch out for:

Venkatesh Iyer

The 28-year-old right-handed batter averages 34.75 in T20 cricket and can bat throughout the innings.

Andre Russell

The former West Indian all-rounder scored 35 runs off 19 balls against Punjab Kings and may move up the batting order in this game.

Tim Southee

The New Zealand’s Test captain, dismissed keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma in the first match. In his T20 career, he has an 18.4 strike rate.

Possible Playing XI:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mandeep Singh, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Anukul Roy, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy. Impact Player: Venkatesh Iyer

Royal Challengers Bangalore (Match Odds – 1.75):

Preview:

Is this the season that all RCB fans have been waiting for? It was hinted at in the first game. While chasing 172 runs against MI, RCB openers Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli brought joy to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Faf scored 73 off 43 balls, including five fours and six sixes. He was the SA20’s second-leading run-scorer. Du Plessis scored 369 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 147.60. In addition, he has 229 runs (2 half-centuries) in the last four games against KKR.

Another piece of good news for the RCB camp is the return of King Kohli. Kohli scored an unbeaten 82 off 49 balls. The final 32 came in with only 11 balls. Is the record of 973 runs in jeopardy? It appears to be the case! Kohli scored a century the last time he visited Eden Gardens. Overall, these two will determine the game’s outcome. Glenn Maxwell is fit to play and had a brief appearance in the first game, scoring two huge sixes. RCB’s middle order will include Michael Bracewell, Shabaz Ahmed, and Dinesh Karthik.

Reece Topley will be out of the game with a dislocated shoulder, which he suffered in the first game. This could reintroduce David Willey to the team. The most impressive bowlers in the first game were Mohammad Siraj and Karn Sharma. Siraj took 1 for 21 and was the most economical, while Sharma took 2 for 32. Siraj is our pick for the best bowler in the RCB squad.

Full Squad:

Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Michael Bracewell, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav

Players to watch out for:

Virat Kohli

The former Indian captain delivered another brilliant batting performance in the big win over Mumbai Indians on Sunday. In his unbeaten innings, he hit 11 home runs.

Faf du Plessis

The South African opener scored his 26th half-century in the IPL on Sunday. He is in great form, having hit six sixes in Match 5.

Mohammed Siraj

At the top of the Mumbai Indians’ batting order, the Indian international dismissed Ishan Kishan. In 2023, he has been at his best in all formats.

Possible Playing XI:

Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Michael Bracewell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, Mohammed Siraj

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Head to Head

Royal Challengers Bangalore won the last head-to-head between the sides by three wickets at the end of March last year, after losing consecutive matches against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2021.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Head to Head Stats in IPL

	Matches Played	KKR Won	RCB Won	Tie	NR
Overall	31	17	14	0	0
Last 5	5	2	3	0	0

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Toss Prediction

In 12 T20Is, the team batting second has won 7 of the games, while the team batting first has won 5 of them. However, recent games have shown that the team batting first has a greater advantage. Last season, RCB won the eliminator on the same ground. After an impressive century from Rajat Patidar, they successfully defended a target of 208 runs. The team that wins the toss bats first.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Pitch Report

The 9th T20 of the IPL 2023 will be played at Eden Gardens on April 6th, starting at 7:30 p.m. The stadium has a capacity of 70000 spectators and has previously hosted 42 Tests, 34 ODIs, and 12 T20Is. RCB has a bad habit of scoring the fewest runs on this ground. In 2017, KKR bowled them out for 49 runs, while none of the RCB players reached double figures.

The sky will be clear. The temperature will range between 25 and 37 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind will be blowing at 10-15 km/h from the west. The Eden Gardens pitch is widely regarded as a batting paradise, with the ball coming on nicely to the bat and providing good bounce. Eden Gardens’ surface is traditionally slower, with the ball not coming onto the bat as quickly as it would in other venues. This means that batsmen must be patient and vigilant, especially early in their innings. However, once established, batsmen can score big on this ground.

As the match progresses, the Eden Gardens also provides some turn for the spinners. This means that spinners can be very important in determining the outcome of the game. The pitch at Eden Gardens also deteriorates over time, with cracks appearing on the surface and making life difficult for the batsmen.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Prediction

Most cricket experts predict a one-sided game in Kolkata, owing to Royal Challengers Bangalore’s significantly larger squad. The Knight Riders could still win this season, but their team appears to be a level or two below the rest of the field. Royal Challengers Bangalore was very impressive in their first game, and we expect them to win again in this one. Check out the odds at Cricbaba!

Royal Challengers Bangalore is the favourite to beat Kolkata Knight Riders at the odds of 1.75.