3/29 IPL Match Prediction RCB vs KKR: All Eyes On Match 10

IPL Match Prediction RCB vs KKR clash will go down on Friday, with pundits already predicting the winner of the match in their IPL pre-match shows. Who do you think beats whom?

The IPL giants will clash at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

With two games already played, RCB will have their sorted combinations ready for deployment against KKR. The Virat-Faf duo at the top hasn’t quite gone picture-perfect, but it has the potential to be the best opening pair in the IPL by the time the season concludes.

Maxwell has not lived up to the hype just yet. They haven’t had a flying start to the season as they lost the season opener to Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai but then regained their footing with a win over Punjab Kings.

As far as Kolkata Knight Riders are concerned, they have won the only game they’ve played so far. India U19 World Cup star, Harish Rana, stole the show for KKR in the first game against SRH as he defended 13 runs in the final over to deny the Sunrisers the win.

Shreyas Iyer and Co are riding high in confidence with two points in the bag already. There have been some talks of Captain Iyer missing out on a couple of games in the near future due to his fitness, but the team looks like a united group other than that.

RCB vs KKR: Pitch Conditions

We are never sure how the wicket turns out to be on a match-day, but the Chinnaswamy Stadium wicket is generally dry. This means that spinners get the most benefit from the wicket as dryness helps get more breaks.

As far as pacers are concerned, they will have to deny the batters any loose length to avoid being hit for big runs. No margin of error for the fast bowlers on the Bangalore wicket!

RCB vs KKR: X-Factor Players Who Can Change The Match

Both teams are elite. They have bowlers and batters who were run after in the auctions, but few of them are those who have the reputation as game changers.

Maxwell

Despite a slow start in both games, Glenn Maxwell is one player every team wants to have. And if they don’t have him, they’d want to avoid being on the other end.

The Australian all-rounder has turned himself equally destructive with his off-spin bowling as well. He even gets to ball in the powerplay, for both Australia and RCB.

But what makes him truly notorious is his unpredictable batting. He can literally take the game away in a matter of a few balls, just ask Afghanistan what he did to them in the recent World Cup.

The 35-year-old has massive experience playing in India having played 126 IPL games since his league debut in 2012.

Maxwell has since scored 2,722 runs and claimed 33 wickets. Though he averages just over 25, this stat alone cannot judge his capability of single-handedly taking the game away from the opponents in both international circuit and franchise cricket.

Russell

Andre Russell hasn’t been at their absolute best in the last few months. But he made us forget his bad patch with a match-winning knock in KKR’s opening game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was 64 unbeaten off 25.

His quickfire half-century provided KKR with the late blitz they needed to put up a mammoth target of 209 runs. Heinrich Klassen scored a 29-ball 63 but his wicket in the final moments of the game meant he could not finish the game for Hyderabad.

SRH ended up being just 4 runs short of a memorable win.

Had Kolkata not had Russell power them to a big score, SRH would have taken the two points home many overs ago.

Kohli

Virat Kohli needs no introduction when the conversation is about match-winners. The RCB veteran was born to chase big targets and he nearly did it in Bangluru’s last match over PBKS as well.

His 77-run knock earned him the Man-of-the-match award against Punjab followed by a witty remark to Harsha Bhogle in the post-game ceremony where he subtly reminded his critics that he’s still a T20 royalty.

The former Indian skipper, who is facing the first ball of the inning for RCB this season, will look to carry on his red-hot form.

Starc

The tag of being the most expensive signing (INR24.75 crores) of the 2024 IPL will hover over Mitchell Starc throughout the season whether he likes it or not.

The Australia pacer, who is coming into the IPL on the back of the World Cup triumph, is expected to make it big in his IPL return as well.

He was the most expensive bowler for KKR in the opening game, conceding 53 in four overs with a wicket to his name.

Starc also did not look his best in KKR’s practice games.

But this should not be the time KKR should call a huddle on Starc since he has had exceptional figures with Australia throughout last year.

Often, changes in atmosphere and conditions also take a toll on the player. On his day, he has what it takes to demolish elite batting line-ups in just a couple of good overs.

A man known for his comebacks, Starc will remain as one of the players you want to watch out for.

RCB vs KKR Match Prediction: Who Comes Out As Winner?

Both Kolkata and Bangaluru seem in good shape. Both teams are coming off a win and looking to pocket two more points at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, but RCB is a different gravy at home.

Dealing with players like Faf du Plessis, Kohli, Rajat Padidar, Maxwell and Mohammad Siraj will not be a cup of coffee for the visitors.

Hence, RCB will have a slight advantage over Iyer and Co. It is more likely to be a showdown between RCB’s batsmen and KKR’s bowlers.