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It's time for match no. 31 in the Indian T20 League between Kolkata and Bangalore which is set to be played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday. It is expected to be a high-voltage encounter between sides, led by two charismatic captains in form of Kohli and Morgan. With so little to choose between both teams, we try to determine who could have an edge going into this contest by considering the following factors:
1. Head-to-head record
In the 28 meetings, Kolkata have had a slight upper hand with 15 wins to their name. However, the recent head-to-head record is in favour of Bangalore who have won the last 4 matches played between the two sides. It was the ABD-Maxwell show which powered Bengaluru to a comprehensive win over Kolkata, when both the teams locked horns earlier in the season.
2. UAE factor
Bengaluru won both of their matches against Kolkata which were held in UAE in the 2020 edition of the tournament. The pitches here are expected to be slow and sluggish and although both sides have quality spinners in form of Chahal and Chakravarthy, it is the batting department that makes the difference. Bangalore's star trio of Kohli, ABD and Maxwell are the best players of spin bowling in the world, which probably gives them the upper hand in these conditions.
3. Form of players
Bangalore have players like Kohli and Siraj who are coming to this match on the back of impressive performances in England. On the other hand, almost all players of Kolkata's starting XI have not played any competitive cricket in recent times, with one of their key players Gill just returning from an injury.
Considering the above-mentioned factors, the team of the day is Bangalore.