Looks like another run fest is on the cards as Kolkata Knight Riders clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah on Monday in Match No. 28 of Dream XI IPL 2020. Both teams look equal on paper with four wins and two losses each. However, KKR are slightly ahead of Virat Kohli’s men on the Net Run Rate, being placed 3rd in the points table.
Sharjah has been known for its shorter boundaries, and in four out of the five matches played here, the team batting first has ended up posting 200+ runs. The KKR bowlers had a difficult time in Sharjah against Delhi but will still have an upper hand going into the match because RCB haven’t been exposed to Sharjah’s conditions yet.
Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy have been lethal with the ball so far, and with the likes of Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Prasidh Krishna also adding value with their pace and variations, KKR will have plenty of expectations from the bowling unit to deliver yet another remarkable performance on Monday.
For RCB, Chris Morris’ availability has come as a huge relief. His 3/19 against CSK has certainly sent out warning signs to the KKR think tank and all of us are curious to see how our top order tackles him with the new ball.
Even though the past head-to-head records between the two teams tilt in KKR’s favour (14 wins in 24 matches), both sides at this moment look to be in good shape. While, KKR will start the game on the back of an exhilarating win against Kings XI Punjab, RCB will also be oozing confidence after their massive victory against Chennai. Captains of both teams have been rock-solid in their last outings. While Dinesh Karthik treated us to a scintillating 29-ball 58 against KXIP, Kohli also shone with a brilliant 52-ball 90 against CSK.
Both RCB and KKR have been waiting for a few big names in their line-ups to fire. While RCB have their worries over Aaron Finch and AB de Villiers’ lack of form, KKR, too, have been waiting for Andre Russell to switch his beast mode on. Russell has been absolutely merciless against RCB in the past, averaging 53.83 with a humungous strike rate of 227.46, which is also the best strike rate against the men in Red by any batsman in IPL so far. Let’s hope our wait to see Dre Russ dispatching the balls into the orbit gets over on Monday.
KKR will also look forward to some consistency from the top and middle order. Rahul Tripathi and Eoin Morgan fell cheaply against KXIP, but their display in Sharjah against Delhi was a massive hit. Tripathi batted lower down the order in that match, but now that he has been promoted to the opening slot, it will be interesting to see how he cope with the pressure. He averages a massive 98 against RCB and that will certainly boost his morale ahead of the high-voltage clash.
KKR and RCB have been on the same page when it comes winning matches while defending a total. Both teams have sealed three out of their four wins batting first. So, it won’t be a surprise at all if the team winning the toss, puts the opposition up for a chase.
KKR take on RCB at 7.30 PM IST on October 12 in Sharjah. Stay tuned on our social pages for more updates and keep chanting, “Korbo, lorbo, jeetbo!”
