KKR vs RCB IPL Prediction 06 Apr 2023

Match 9 of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League will be contested between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the iconic Eden Gardens.

• Royal Challengers Bangalore are coming on the back of a commanding win over the Mumbai Indians courtesy of half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis.
• Kolkata Knight Riders lost their first game against the Punjab Kings by 7 runs (DLS method).
• The previous game between the two teams was in last year’s IPL where RCB won a close game by 3 wickets.

KKR vs RCB – IPL – Venue Details

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Date: April 6th 2023

Time: 19:30 (local)

KKR vs RCB – IPL – Team Previews

Kolkata Knight Riders

In their opening match of IPL 2023, Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a setback as they lost to the Punjab Kings by 7 runs (via DLS Method). Kolkata were chasing a target of 192 and were at 146/7 in the 16th over when rain interrupted play. As a result, they fell 7 runs behind the DLS par score.

Nitish Rana’s captaincy debut saw a few debatable decisions, including not using Andre Russell in the death overs. Punjab Kings posted a formidable total of 191, but Varun Chakaravarthy’s performance was a positive for KKR. The middle order consisting of Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, and Andre Russell will have to step up and score heavily in future matches.

Shakib Al Hasan is unavailable for the tournament, and Jason Roy, who has been signed as his replacement, may not be available for the upcoming clash. If fit, Lockie Ferguson is expected to replace Tim Southee, who wasn’t fully fit for the first game.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore had a strong start to their IPL 2023 campaign, beating the five-time champions Mumbai Indians by eight wickets. RCB’s bowlers did well, taking early wickets, but Mumbai still managed to set a challenging target of 171/7. However, openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis played unbeaten half-centuries to lead RCB to an easy victory.

Unfortunately, Reece Topley will be out due to a dislocated shoulder sustained during the first game, so David Willey may come in to replace him. The new-ball partnership of Siraj and Topley also looked strong, and they could pose problems on the hard, seaming pitch at the Eden Gardens.

A noteworthy battle to watch out for in the upcoming match is Kohli versus Russell. Kohli handled Jofra Archer well in the previous game, but it remains to be seen how he will fare against the pace and short-ball tactics of Russell.

KKR vs RCB – IPL – Probable Playing XI’s

Kolkata Knight Riders: R Gurbaz (wk), Mandeep Singh, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, S Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Anukul Roy, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Michael Bracewell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Akashdeep Singh, David Willey, Mohd Siraj

KKR vs RCB – IPL – Pitch Report and Toss Prediction

The pitch at the Eden Gardens is expected to be a great batting track with spinners becoming more prominent later in the innings, as has been the case historically. Out of the 12 T20 matches played at this ground, teams batting second have emerged victorious on seven occasions. Hence, the captain who wins the toss will likely elect to bowl first.

KKR vs RCB – IPL – Win Prediction

Kolkata’s top-order looks shaky and they are going to have a hard time facing RCB’s new-ball duo of Siraj and Willey. KKR’s death overs troubles could be the difference between the two sides.