Kolkata Knight Riders have been struggling in the ongoing IPL 2023. They are currently at the number 8th spot with only 2 wins in the tournament. It was a disappointing performance by Nitish Rana led the side as their batting looked ordinary and the bowling struggled badly. This match holds importance for KKR to stay alive in the tournament.
KKR gave away 235 runs in the previous match against Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, and lost by a big margin. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore won a thrilling contest against Rajasthan Royals by 7 runs.
The match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru promises to be an exciting encounter. KKR will need to do various things right to beat RCB.
Here we look at the 3 Things That KKR Needs to get right to beat RCB today.
- Picking Wickets in the first six overs
Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling has not been up to the mark in the first six overs. Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee looked ordinary conceding boundaries at will. When both teams met in Kolkata, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis showed intent on putting KKR pacers in trouble.
Umesh Yadav has not provided wickets in the first six overs. He picked only 1 wicket in the 7 matches he features for KKR and went at an economy of 9.44 runs per over. If KKR pacers could not provide the early wickets, then Faf and Kohli could run away on a brilliant batting pitch at Bengaluru.
The responsibility will be on the KKR pacers to do early damage in the first six overs and keep RCB under check.
- Failure of Top Order
The opening pair of Kolkata Knight Riders has been disappointing. KKR franchise has tried various options including Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jason Roy, Liton Das, and Narayan Jagadeesan. Jason Roy looked in great touch during the previous match against Chennai Super Kings.
KKR must stick to the set of openers who could provide a quick start and provide them opportunities to express themselves. If the opening pair does not click, it puts pressure on Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, and Andre Russell.
If KKR needs to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore today, they need their openers to put pressure on RCB bowlers and make life easier for themselves.
- Andre Russell and Sunil Narine
The form of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in this year’s IPL for KKR has been disappointing. Narine has grabbed a total of just 6 wickets at an economy of 8.68 runs per over. Narine should bowl consistent lines and lengths against RCB batters in the middle overs.
Andre Russell also looked ordinary in the tournament so far with 107 runs. His best score in the tournament was 35 off 19 deliveries against Punjab Kings. He has tried to hit shots and got out on tough situations that are not able to help KKR win matches.
Russell’s bowling looked ordinary in this year’s IPL. He has bowled 31 deliveries from 7 matches. KKR needs Russell to be at his best with both and the ball to beat RCB today.
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