IPL 2023, KKR vs RCB: Preview, stats, and Fantasy XI
Match number nine of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season sees Kolkata Knight Riders face Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. KKR are in a spot of bother, having lost the first match versus Punjab Kings. KKR have also seen Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan out for the season. Meanwhile, RCB will look to add more issues for KKR.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The Eden Gardens is renowned for its batting-friendly surface. One could see a high-scoring game. Spinners will come into the match once the surface wears down. Overall, a competitive battle between bat and ball is expected. Star Sports Network will telecast the match, while fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema from 7:30 PM onward.
KKR have roped in Jason Roy
Kolkata Knight Riders have roped in England's Jason Roy as a replacement player. On April 4, Iyer was ruled out as he is set to undergo surgery on his injured back. Besides, he will also miss the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia in June. Iyer will be out for three months. Earlier, Shakib pulled out of the IPL.
RCB have several injury woes
RCB batter Rajat Patidar was ruled out of IPL 2023 due to an Achilles Heel injury. The participation of Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood also hangs in balance as he continues to recover from Achilles tendonitis. RCB saw Will Jacks get ruled out of the tournament before the start. Michael Bracewell replaced him later on. Reece Topley picked up a shoulder injury during RCB's opener.
Contrasting opening results for both the teams in IPL 2023
Punjab Kings beat KKR in match number two of the IPL 2023 season in Mohali. Asked to bat, PBKS posted a challenging 191/5 in 20 overs. In response, KKR (146/7) were seven runs behind as per DLS when rain intervened and conceded the match. RCB thrashed Mumbai Indians by 8 wickets. MI posted 171/7 before Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis helped RCB win.
A look at the Probable XI of both teams
KKR Probable Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, N Jagadeesan, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy. RCB Probable Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Michael Bracewell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.
H2H record and key individual numbers
KKR and RCB have played 30 IPL games. KKR have won 16, with RCB pocketing 14 wins. In 30 games versus KKR, Kohli has amassed 786 runs at 35.72. In 13 games versus RCB, Andre Russell has managed 395 runs at 43.88. In 17 games, Sunil Narine has 17 scalps versus RCB. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj has 11 scalps versus KKR.
Dream11 Fantasy teams
Dream11 team 1 option: Virat Kohli (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Faf du Plessis (vc), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy, Umesh Yadav, Akash Deep. Dream11 team 2 option: Virat Kohli, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Faf du Plessis (c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell (vc), Sunil Narine, Michael Bracewell, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy, Umesh Yadav, Harshal Patel.
