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Punjab Kings will be looking to continue their winning momentum with Kagiso Rabada available while the Knight Riders will be keen to bounce back from their loss. 

In the end, the result may have looked inevitable but the fact that they managed to push an RCB side, who posted 205/2 on the same surface three nights ago, to the last over spoke about nerves of steel and a never-say-die attitude that defined characters on a two-paced surface.

In a tense finish on Wednesday night, Dinesh Karthik held his nerve to see Royal Challengers Bangalore over the line with three wickets and four balls to spare at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

“Knowing Ajinkya, he has been someone who never played to prove anything to people. He’s someone who has always played for the fact that he enjoys playing this game and he plays with the utmost desire to do well for his team. He’s an absolute team man. If there was one player who would stand out and you can consider a proper team man, I think it’s Ajinkya."

KKR vs RCB is classic box office stuff. Matches between these two sides have been nothing short of blockbusters in their own right. If their first games are anything to go by, expect a sizzling encounter on the cards.  The head-to-head record between the sides suggests just as much. 16-13 in KKR's favour with two wins, which included the eliminator, out of three games last season. 

Wickets in the powerplay? Check. Spinners bowling with control? Check. Tight fielding? Check. Batters getting runs? Check. A win to start the season well? Check! 

Back bowling in the Purple and Gold, having represented the Knight Riders for three years up until 2017, he made clever use of the movement on offer mixing the swing with scrambled-seam nip-backers to keep the Chennai Super Kings’ top-order guessing.

Having retained their core players, Kolkata will be led by their new captain Shreyas Iyer. At his disposal is an exciting squad with a mix of youth and experience.

“He’s already incredibly well-respected around the world for what his game is about and what he has been able to achieve," says the Kolkata Knight Riders head coach

"Had a few chats with Brendon McCullum after the auction. He is an aggressive coach, and a risk-taker. I absolutely love that," says 'player's captain' Shreyas Iyer.

"I am extremely honoured to have gotten the opportunity to lead a prestigious team like KKR. The IPL as a tournament brings the best players from different countries and cultures together and I look forward to leading this great group of very talented individuals."

Bharat Arun, our Bowling coach, and AR Srikkanth, the head of talent scouting and player acquisition, were LIVE on our Social Media channels speaking with Gautam Bhimani