Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) host Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their first IPL 2023 home game on April 6 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
After losing their first game in Mohali to the Punjab Kings (PBKS), KKR will want to get their season back on track. Using the DLS strategy, they were defeated by seven runs.
The Knight Riders will attempt to come out all guns blazing in front of their passionate fans, despite the fact that they have been confronted with a number of issues since the beginning of the campaign. To return KKR to winning ways, players like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell need to step up.
In contrast, RCB is off to a great start this year. Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli shared a 148-run partnership as they defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by eight wickets. As RCB’s quest for their first IPL trophy continues, the team will be full of self-assurance and look to make it two wins in a row.
Due to the high caliber of the players on both teams, the upcoming matchup looks like it will be an exciting one. Due to teams concentrating more on matchups, there will be some interesting duels.
In light of this, let’s take a look at the three-player battles in the tie between KKR and RCB.
#1 Faf du Plessis vs Umesh Yadav
RCB captain Faf du Plessis scored a brisk 73 off 43 balls to lead the team against Mumbai. The Proteas star appeared to be in good shape as he hit the ball all over the park.
Du Plessis will be up against Umesh Yadav’s raw pace and will want to maintain his form against the Knight Riders. The senior pacer for Team India is a force to be reckoned with and has a lot of experience playing in these conditions.
Umesh will be a threat to Bangalore’s openers because he can swing the ball both ways. It would be a treat to see how Du Plessis handles Umesh in the powerplay.
#2 Virat Kohli vs Sunil Narine
The former RCB captain has been in excellent form ever since ending his century drought in the Asia Cup last year. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), as well as on the international stage, Virat Kohli has exuded confidence. In his match against the Mumbai Indians, he scored 82* off 49 balls.
Given his current form, KKR skipper Nitish Rana is likely to use Sunil Narine in the powerplay to eliminate Kohli’s threat. The West Indian spinner is difficult to tackle and has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.
When two of the modern game’s greatest players attempt to take on one another and put their team ahead, it will be exciting to watch.
#3 Karn Sharma vs Andre Russell
At the moment, Andre Russell is one of the most ferocious cricket ball hitters. In his 19-ball, 35-run performance against Punjab, he hit three boundaries and two sixes, demonstrating his potential.
When Russell takes the field, Du Plessis will be tempted to use leg spinner Karn Sharma.
The senior spinner, who got two wickets in the last game, will remove the ball from the player, making it hard for the West Indian all-rounder to hit against the line.
How Russell tackles Karn and makes quick runs for his team will be interesting to watch.