Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on the bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 36th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. Having won four games out of six, KKR are strongly placed second in the IPL 2024 standings. On the other hand, RCB are currently languishing tenth in the IPL 2024 standings with only two points on the board. The last time when both these sides met at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 29, KKR grabbed a comfortable win by seven wickets.
Ahead of this exciting contest, we look at the predicted XIs of both sides.
KKR Predicted XI
Phil Salt (wicketkeeper)
KKR opener Phil Salt has scored 201 runs in six matches, with a strike rate of 151.12. His explosive approach has contributed to KKR’s quick starts this season.
Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine has been in scintillating form with the bat this season, scoring 276 runs at a strike rate of 187.75. In addition, he has seven wickets from six encounters. The Caribbean all-rounder is currently leading the most valuable players’ chart.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi
The 18-year-old has 115 runs in four innings for KKR with a strike rate of 166.66. The right-hander has been providing the balance at No. 3 in the absence of Nitish Rana.
Shreyas Iyer (captain)
Shreyas Iyer, KKR’s skipper, has been playing the anchor’s role for the Knight Riders. Striking at 122.80, Shreyas has scored 140 runs in six matches this year.
Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer hit a fantastic 50 against RCB, laced with three fours and four sixes. The southpaw will play a pivotal role against RCB at the Eden Gardens.
Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh had a stellar season for KKR last year, amassing 474 runs. In this year’s IPL, he has already scored 83 runs in four innings and has a strike rate of 162.74.
Andre Russell
Andre Russell began his IPL 2024 campaign on a positive note, scoring 128 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 200 and taking six wickets. KKR will rely on him once again to return to winning ways.
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc, who was bought for a hefty INR 24.75 crore, has had a disappointing start to the season. The Australian pacer has only managed five wickets in six matches at 10.54.
Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy has had a challenging start to the season but has picked up seven wickets in six matches. He claimed 20 wickets in 14 matches for KKR last year and can swing a game in his team’s favour on a spin-friendly track at Eden.
Vaibhav Arora
Vaibhav Arora has proved lethal with the ball in the powerplay overs for KKR. The right-arm pacer has scalped seven wickets in four innings at 9.57.
Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana, one of the shinning lights for KKR this season, has been effective with his pace and occasional slower ones at the slog overs. At a decent economy rate of 9.50, Harshit has picked up seven wickets in four innings.
Impact Sub
Ramandeep Singh/Suyash Sharma
RCB Predicted XI
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the face of RCB’s batting unit. With 361 runs scored in seven matches, Kohli is the current IPL 2024 Orange Cap holder. He has fared well against Kolkata in the past and will be eager to hammer their bowlers at the Eden Gardens.
Faf du Plessis (captain)
South African veteran Faf du Plessis announced himself in the ongoing IPL 2024 season with a 61-run knock against Mumbai Indians. Since then he’s looked in a sublime form having smashed 232 runs in seven innings at 154.66.
Will Jacks
England’s top-order batter Will Jacks had an underwhelming start to his IPL 2024 campaign. The right-hander replaced an out of form Cameron Green in the starting XI and has only managed to score 15 runs in two innings. He’s most likely to be backed by RCB’s think tank.
Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar will add depth to Bengaluru’s middle-order batting lineup. He has scored 109 runs in six innings, including a quickfire 26-ball 50 against Mumbai Indians. Patidar’s magnificent ton in IPL 2022 came at the Eden Gardens and the batter will be gearing up for another run fest.
Suyash Prabhudesai
The Goa skipper, Suyash Prabhudesai is most likely to replace a struggling Saurav Chauhan against KKR. The right-hander has smashed 873 runs in 41 T20 innings at 134.10.
Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper)
Dinesh Karthik is the backbone of RCB’s batting. With an impressive average of 75.33 and a strike rate of 205.45, DK has scored 226 runs in six innings this season. He would be eager to take on KKR’s bowling lineup.
Mahipal Lomror
Known for aggressive batting, Mahipal Lomror brings stability to RCB’s lower-middle-order. With a staggering strike rate of 209.09, Lomror can play a much-needed cameo for RCB sooner rather than later.
Reece Topley
England speedster Reece Topley will most likely open the bowling for Bengaluru against KKR. Known for his ability to swing and generate bounce, Topley’s variation with the ball has seen him earn four scalps in as many games.
Vyshak Vijaykumar
Karnataka pacer Vyshak Vijaykumar has only managed to pick two wickets in three matches this season. He would be raring to improve to take his wickets tally up by a notch come Sunday.
Lockie Ferguson
Leaking runs at 13, Lockie Ferguson had a forgettable debut for RCB in the last fixture. The Kiwi pacer scalped two wickets against an explosive SRH and is expected to play a vital role at the Eden Gardens.
Yash Dayal
Yash Dayal will spearhead the RCB fast-bowling in the powerplay overs against KKR. Dayal’s ability to deceive batters with his pace has seen him claim five wickets in six matches.
Impact Sub
Mayank Dagar/Karn Sharma
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