Eden Garden will host their home team, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on April 6, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. IST. RCB won the opening match against Mumbai Indians, while KKR struggled to surpass something remarkable against PBKS, losing by 7 runs through the DLS method. KKR was down 7 wickets anyway, and Arshdeep Singh looked to go strong with a chance of picking up more wickets.
The only challenge that RCB has to look after is how they adapt to the pitch that rolls out the factor of dew in the steamy weather. RCB has already won a single match versus KKR in their opponent’s hometown. Faf du Plessis-led RCB will look to add to that number and rise in the charts of the leaderboard.
Kohli and Plessis jointly took on the bowling unit of MI, scoring 82 off 49 balls and 73 off 43 balls, respectively. Dinesh Karthik was a letdown, but he is expected to come in handy with crucial inputs for the pitch at Eden Gardens. Maxwell shot two powers in three balls, showing his worth at times when there was a demand for performance.
Kohli and Plessis may once again open for RCB. Shahbaz Ahmed and Akash Deep must ensure that the team knows the lengths of the pitch and depths of the ground. KKR has not been up to the mark with its bowling unit; however, the home-ground feeling has the record of bringing out the best in players.
Tim Southee picked two wickets against PBKS with the highest economy rate of 13.50. Varun Chakravarthy managed to get a single wicket with an economy of 6.50 in his 4-over bowling spell. A little push is still needed since the middle batting order of KKR is somewhat weak. Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan are missing from the line-up. Both are the backbones that can actually leave a lasting impact.
Andre Russell comes down on the order. Promoting him earlier for batting could make the predictions incline in their favor. Provided, of course, that KKR bats later and RCB is restricted to a lower target. Betting on cricket considers several factors, but most of them already favor the RCB. KKR has a shot if it goes strong with the opening order and bowling unit led by Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee.
A modification is on the way, with Topley out of the picture after sustaining a shoulder dislocation. Per the reports, he will be replaced by his English teammate David Willey. Rajat Patidar will remain unavailable for RCB.
Therefore, it can be predicted that RCB has a better chance of winning the event against KKR, especially with the opening pair with the likes of Kohli and the skipper. KKR is trembling with its middle order and bowling unit. This gives a fair chance to the opponent to simply take away the victory.
