Bangalore fans can rejoice as their team has won the two matches it has played so far. Kolkata, on the other hand, has won one and lost the other. That loss came against Mumbai in a match that Kolkata seemed to have all but won. The rivalry between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight riders is pretty serious. There have been some heated encounters and both teams have a passionate fanbase that keeps the contest lively. Chennai has not been a typical T20 venue but the low-scoring matches have been very exciting so far.
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2021
Teams’ strengths & weaknesses
Bangalore has been very good in the two matches played and its biggest strength has been its batting. the middle-order has come to the rescue of the Royal Challengers in both matches it has won. The bowling attack has also been quite good and there is more flexibility in the team. The lack of a specialist death bowler for Bangalore is a clear weakness. The strategies followed by the team also seem to lack the statistical homework behind them that some of the others follow.
Kolkata could have easily had two wins to its name as well but that was not to be. The lack of intent at the end of the inning against Mumbai and the poor shot selection was a surprise. The lack of runs from the middle order is a big weakness so far. The biggest strength is the batting strength at the top and the variety that the team possesses with the ball. Also, Morgan is quite brilliant with his tactics and match-ups, something we have already seen in the tournament.
Players in form
Glen Maxwell comes with a hefty price tag every season but he finally seems to be delivering on it. His fifty in the previous inning was the first in five seasons! His ability to play spin well is proving to be invaluable for Bangalore. Similarly, the batting form of AB de Villiers is also very good. He is batting a bit deeper down the order this season and that is a good move. Harshal Patel is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament at this early stage.
Nitish Rana is the one name that is in prime batting form for Kolkata. He has two fifties from two matches and has been very comfortable on a pitch that is not the easiest for batting. Andre Russell took five wickets in the previous match and his role as a death bowler seems to be suiting him very well.
Match conditions
Chennai is proving to be a pitch where the spinners are dominating and the runs have been hard to score. That is not very surprising and with very little time 9in between matches, that is unlikely to change.
Game statistics
- Royal Challengers Bangalore has won the previous three matches against Kolkata Knight Riders. It is worth noting that Kolkata won the five before that in a row.
- Virat Kohli has a great record against Kolkata and has a total of 725 runs against it
- Yuzvendra Chahal has 14 wickets against Kolkata, the most for any player in the current squad when it comes to this rivalry
Predictions
Kolkata Knight Riders has been very impressive in the two matches that it has played. It lost the previous match because of two bad overs and that can happen to any team. That does not make it a bad team. It has the beating strength needed to overcome Bangalore and its bowling attack is quite impressive as well. We think Mogan's captaincy and tactics could be the difference.
Winner: Kolkata Knight Riders (2.05)
