IPL 2021 Match 30: KKR vs RCB Preview – Team News, Probable XI and More

Match Details

Date: 3 May 2021

Time: 7:30 PM (IST)

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Live Ball-by-Ball Commentary: SportsTiger App

Preview:

It's been a thrilling ride in the Indian Premier League so far. On Monday, the journey will continue with Kolkata Knight Riders going up against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in match number 30 of the T20 competition. While Bangalore are in the top half of the table with 5 wins and 2 defeats in 7 matches, Kolkata have just not got going in the tournament and have managed just 2 wins so far in their 7 matches. Consequently, KKR find themselves at a dismal position in the points tally.

However, in an opposition like RR, KKR will find a side defeating whom can give enormous confidence to the boys and lift their spirits up. Their have been some batting brilliances for KKR and bowling ones too but they somehow haven't produced their best in all three departments in one single match. Will that match be the one against RCB for Eoin Morgan and Co.?

Meanwhile, the result against Punjab Kings will be enough for Royal Challengers Bangalore to realise that there are concerns in their camp which they need to address moving forward in the tournament. While they have been dominant in wins, they have looked equally out of shots in their defeats. Harshal Patel hasn't looked the same bowler in Ahmedabad while Glenn Maxwell hasn't scored big after his initial innings either. Will they get back to winning run against a low in confidence KKR or give their fans some reasons to worry after a good start? We shall find out when the action begins on Monday.

Team News

Kolkata Knight Riders:

There are no known injury or availability concerns from the Kolkata camp. However, inconsistent performances can force a few changes. Sunil Narine hasn't got going with the bat at all and isn't as effective with the ball either. Perhaps they can consider bringing back Shakib Al Hasan in place of him. There could be other tactical changes based on the appearance of the 22 yards, but it is difficult to foresee too many changes since players have shown glimpses of their true potential.

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Virat Kohli has spoken about how his team this year provides him 7-8 possible bowling options which helps him make the changes as per the conditions and opposition. However, it still hasn't worked for him on a couple of occasions and it remains to be seen if Kohli will make a few changes to address the issue. In addition, Rajat Patidar has been shown a lot of confidence by the team management but hasn't scored runs to justify coming ahead of AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell.

Head-to-head

Played- 27

Kolkata Knight Riders- 14

Royal Challengers Bangalore- 13

Players to watch out for:

Rahul Tripathi:

Rahul Tripathi has been a fluent stroke maker for Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he has failed to make the cut as an opener. At number 3, he has played a few effective cameos for his side but never quite made it big in the season so far. With his team looking dead and buried, this could be a brilliant opportunity for someone like Tripathi to play an inspiring innings and put their campaign back on track.

Virat Kohli:

For Royal Challengers Bangalore, captain Virat Kohli would be eager to make a statement himself with the bat. Coming out to open the batting, he will have an opportunity to make a big impact in the match and he would look to set the tempo of the innings with his knock. Once Kohli gets going and the likes of Maxi and AB to follow, Bangalore would have truly displayed the might of their batting power.

Probable Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine/Shakib Al Hasan, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy