Kolkata Knight Riders take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 36th match of IPL 2024 at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta on April 21, Sunday. The hosts enjoy a massive advantage over their opponents and will start as the favourites to win it by a decent margin.
KKR beat RCB by a whopping scoreline in the reverse fixture played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and will also be keen on recreating the same in this match. With Sunil Narine and Phil Salt in fine fettle, it may not be beyond KKR to do so in this encounter.
RCB have a strong batting unit, and will hope that they come good in this game at least. They have not been at their best this season and languish right at the bottom of the standings at the time of writing. They have an excellent side on paper but have continually faltered when performing.
Predicted Squads
KKR: Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana.
RCB: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Saurav Chauhan, Reece Topley, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal.
Key Players
Sunil Narine (KKR): Trinidadian all-rounder Sunil Narine has showcased why he is one of the most fearsome cricketers in the IPL. Along with his wily off-spin bowling, Narine has also proven his worth with the bat in hand at the top of the order. He is a dangerous proposition to be dealing with.
Dinesh Karthik (RCB): Veteran finisher Dinesh Karthik has been the solution RCB have been looking for all season. He can bat anywhere in the order and provide them with the heft they need to propel themselves to a big total, either when batting first or chasing a score down.
Match Prediction
There is no doubt that KKR are the downright favourites to beat RCB and win this game comfortably. They have a lot of top-quality players in their ranks and will be more than happy to give RCB the treatment at the batting track that the Eden Gardens have become.
Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans 21.04.2024 Prediction
Punjab Kings, who have had more of a start-stop campaign in the IPL this season, will take on Gujarat Titans in the 37th game at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Chandigarh. GT know that they have to be on top of their game to challenge PBKS in this game.
PBKS have had a flurry of home games recently, which has helped them adapt well to these conditions. GT will do their best to prevent hosts from quickly getting on the front foot. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill need to be on top of their respective games.
PBKS have a lot on their plate and will be keen to ensure they do not let the advantage go to their opponents. GT, for their part, know that they have to be on the ball at all times and not allow the hosts any opportunity to score one over them.
Predicted Squads
PBKS: Rilee Rossouw, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh.
GT: Shubman Gill (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Sandeep Warrier.
Key Players
Shashank Singh (PBKS): Chattisgarh's Shashank Singh, who plies his trade for PBKS in the IPL, has been one of the revelations this season. He has proven why he is so highly rated and why PBKS trust him with the bat in hand lower down the order. He has to come good in this game as well.
Shubman Gill (GT): Skipper Shubman Gill, one of his generation's finest batters, will have to carry GT's hopes with him in this game. While opening the innings, he has to ensure that he sets the tone for the rest of the batters in the lineup to foll.
Match Prediction
Despite being the visiting side, GT are the downright favourites to win this game. Although their recent form has not been what they expect of themselves, they will be able to coast over a lacklustre PBKS side rather comfortably. The hosts are struggling this season.