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The league stages are over after a dramatic unfolding towards the end. Kolkata entered the playoffs as the fourth team, thanks to their convincing win over Rajasthan in their last match. The side would definitely be happy with the performance in the second half as they rose from the 7th spot in the points table to snatch the final position for the playoffs from Mumbai. Kolkata are slated to face Bangalore, the team which is third-placed in the table.
The Virat Kohli-led side, on the other hand, would definitely be mourning for the 4-run loss they suffered at the hands of Hyderabad, which played a huge role in keeping them away from the top 2 spot in points table by the end of league stage. Nonetheless, Bangalore would look to forget the past and get a fresh start now.
Head to Head: In terms of the head-to-head battles between the sides. The teams have faced each other a total of 28 times in the Indian T20 League with Kolkata having a slight edge with 15 wins to their credit, while Bangalore managed to win rest 13.
However if we consider their recent performances against each other on the UAE pitches, Bangalore have won two of the three matches that have taken place between the sides in the last two seasons.
Recent Performance in Indian T20 League: Kolkata are coming into the Eliminator on the back of two wins, while Virat Kohli-led Bangalore have lost one and won the other in the past two games played.
Form of Players: For Bangalore Glenn Maxwell has been the star this season as he is the highest run-scorer for the side so far. In addition, the recent form of Srikar Bharat has certainly put an end to their number 3 find, at least for the playoffs. In the bowling front, Harshal Patel has been in amazing touch and Chahal has performed well (considering overall stats of his UAE leg this season).
For Kolkata, Rahul Tripathi has been the man in form, while Shubman Gill coming of late has just served as the cherry on the cake. Venkatesh Iyer's all-round performance and Varun Chakravarthy's stats are the other highlight for the side, however, Eoin Morgan's form is a big worry for the side.
Considering overall factors, Bangalore seem to have an edge over Kolkata.