The winner of Kolkata Knight Riders & Royal Challengers will move up the points table and almost secure a place in the playoffs. Eoin Morgan has been in decent form, and after taking over the captaincy, he seems to have found his top form. Virat Kohli is the highest run-getter for RCB but hasn’t fired in the last two games. RCB won last time in the reverse fixture relatively comfortably by 82 runs.
RCB won the last game from the jaws of defeat thanks to a master class from AB De Villiers, who single-handedly won them the game chasing a competitive 178. They will want their openers who were slow off the blocks to pick up some pace in the 1st six overs. With Morris’s inclusion, who picked four wickets last game, their bowling attack has become a lot better and stronger.
KKR pulled off another close win, this time in a super-over while defending 163 runs. They will be happy because their two leading batsmen Dinesh Kartik and Eoin Morgan, are getting some runs under their belt. Despite Andre Russell being injured, the returning Lockie Ferguson was unplayable, picking up three wickets and another 2 when the match went to a super-over. Apart from him, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun kept things tight, which made things difficult.
Key Players List
Batsman – Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Eoin Morgan, and Dinesh Karthik.
Virat Kohli has struggled to get going after his unbeaten 90 vs CSK despite getting off to a decent start and slowing down in the middle-overs. Mr.360 proved why he is the biggest match-winner for RCB after single-handedly winning against RR. They will now hope to get a top-2 finish, and for it to happen, this duo has to be firing consistently. Kartik played with much intent after giving up the captaincy, and he, along with KKR’s new captain, played a vital role in taking the team to a decent score.
All Rounder- Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Washington Sundar, and Chris Morris.
Pat Cummins may have taken just 3 wickets this IPL but has been a useful contributor for KKR with the bat. He largely bowls at the powerplay, and it’s high time he picks more wickets during that phase. Narine has been absent due to his injury, and controversy surrounding his bowling action might feature in the playing XI. Chris Morris has already been in the pick of things in his three matches for RCB so far, taking 8 wickets and scoring quick runs with the bat. He and Washington Sundar are crucial in containing the opposition big-hitters.
Bowlers – Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, and Yuzuvendra Chahal.
KKR seems to have found some spark in their bowling with a magical comeback of Lockie Ferguson, who derailed SRH top-order with 3 wickets and bowled his side to a win in super-over. Kuldeep Yadav also made a comeback last game, troubled the likes of Warner, so he must be in a good frame of mind after not so great start to this IPL. Saini has not taken many wickets but has been quite consistent in keeping runs to a bare minimum and crucial against the KKR top-order. Chahal is one of the stand-out leg spinners in this IPL & around the world, and he manages to come back every time his chips are down.
Battles to look forward
- Chris Morris vs Eoin Morgan
- Chahal vs Dinesh Karthik
- Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson vs Virat Kohli and Ab De Villiers
Chris Morris has turned out to be a wicket-taker for RCB as expected, and if he could get past the KKR skipper, it could do much good for the Virat led side. Dinesh Karthik has been dismissed by the leg-spinners couple of times in this IPL but slowly is coming back to form, and Chahal is always a threat for any batsman. Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson can be the ideal bowling pair to be bowling against two of the best in the business Virat Kohli and Ab De Villiers. This will be a mouth-watering contest if it happens.
Head to Head between KKR and RCB.
- Matches Played: 26
- RCB Won: 11
- KKR won: 15
Significant Approaching Milestones.
75- Rahul Tripathi needs further 75 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs.
1- Virat Kohli needs 1 more maximum to hit 200 6’s in IPL.
2- Ab De Villiers needs 2 more catches to fetch 100 IPL catches.
58- Aaron Finch needs 58 more runs to score 2000 IPL runs.
Match conditions
Venue: Sheik Zayed cricket stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Date & Timings: October 21, 2020, at 7.30 PM IST.
Weather: Clear with the temperature around 32 C.
Pitch: Likely to be a slow batting surface as the game progresses with possible due coming later.
