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Match Details
Date: 18 April 2021
Time: 3:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Chepauk Stadium, Chennai
Live Ball-by-Ball Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview
It is time for the first double-header of IPL 2021 as Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore in an afternoon game. It would be a slightly unknown territory for both the sides as one cannot predict what to expect from the Chepauk wicket during a 3:30 pm start.
Both the sides come into this contest on the back of playing two nail-biting contests each. While Virat Kohli's side came out on top on both occasions, KKR would be very disappointed with how they surrendered in their previous contest. Eoin Morgan's side would be desperate to bounce back with a win against a dangerous-looking RCB who have won two-in-two.
It is going to be very tricky this time around as both the teams might look to bat first in hot Chennai weather. With some extremely talented spinners and explosive batsmen in both the camps, it is going to be an ultimate battle for the fans to watch.
Team News
Kolkata Knight Riders:
There are no injury concerns for KKR as they have a fully-fit squad available for this contest. Although they lost the previous match, they are expected to play the same side that featured against Mumbai.
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
While RCB would want to continue with a winning combination, they might be tempted to include Adam Zampa in spin-friendly conditions with either Dan Christian or Kyle Jamieson making way for him.
Head to Head
Matches played: 26
Kolkata Knight Riders: 14
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 12
Key Players
Glenn Maxwell:
The new RCB signing is looking at his best this season, having played two match-winning knocks (39 off 28 and 59 off 41). Maxwell would want to continue his impressive start to the tournament and play a massive part at his new No. 4 role for Kohli's side.
Nitish Rana:
The left-handed opener has had a terrific start to the new season, with two brilliant knocks (80 off 46 and 57 off 47). Nitish would hope to provide explosive starts to the franchise throughout the season and play his new counter-attacking game that he has been playing for KKR.
Probable XI
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Dan Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jameison, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal