KKR will be taking on RCB in their first home game of the season
The IPL is back to where it all started as the old rivalry between KKR and RCB resumes at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. A ground that has witnessed several memorable matches going back all the way to the famous India- Australia test in 2001 where the duo of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman scripted history. A ground that was once considered a spinners den has produced many memorable IPL matches as well and RCB has been an integral part of those matches.
One such match happened in the pre covid era during IPL 2019 which was also a do-or-die match for RCB as the team had lost eight matches on the trot that season and were in desperate need of a win and that’s when Virat Kohli stood up and scored a hard-fought century on a wicket which was not easy to bat on as the ball was nipping around a bit and the bowlers were getting zip of the wicket.
That was Kohli’s fifth IPL hundred. It is a special hundred because Kohli was also struggling to score big runs along with his team who was winless coming into that match. But as they say, form is temporary class is permanent, Kohli showed his class and RCB ended up registering its first win of that season.
RCB fans will be expecting a similar show from the former captain today as the team in red and black takes on KKR at Eden Gardens for the first time this season.
RCB to play at Eden Gardens with happy memories, but missing instrumental player Rajat Patidar
RCB will have happy memories of this ground as they beat LSG last year when they play at Eden Gardens. Having said that, the team would be missing Rajat Patidar who was instrumental when RCB played at this ground last time as the batter scored a memorable century helping his team win the match and finish in third position after a long time. But they still have the likes of Virat Kohli Glen Maxwell Shahbaz Ahmad and their captain Faf Du Plessis who was in scintillating form in RCB’S opening match against MI. The opening match of RCB in this year’s IPL was an example of a complete team effort as they ticked almost all the boxes.
Mohmmad Siraj who bowled with good line and length picked up early wickets and was well supported by Reece Topley who picked up the crucial wicket of Cameron Green with a pinpoint yorker. The left armer’s participation in today’s match is doubtful as he dislocated his shoulder while fielding and did not bowl in the entire match. Although it was said that the shoulder has been fixed but he might not play as a precautionary measure.
The only genuine concern for RCB is their death bowling which came under the scanner in the previous match, as well as Siraj, bowled an 11-ball over which shifted the momentum in MI’S favor.
For KKR, it’s a chance for them to right the wrongs of their first match which they lost by a narrow margin of seven runs. For them, one of the issues that they need to address is the team’s run rate in the middle order which was one of the reasons they lost the previous match, and with the kind of depth they have in the batting line up they can afford to bit more aggressive in the middle overs
Image Courtesy: NDTV Sports
For the latest updates and news on the IPL, visit our website, Asiana Times.
