IPL 2023: KKR vs RCB, Match 9: Pitch Report, Probable XI and Match Prediction

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ninth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Eden Gardens Stadium on April 6. While KKR faced a defeat in their opening game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), RCB started the 16th edition of the league with a dominating eight-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI).

The innings by Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli were the major highlights of RCB’s win against MI. The batting duo scored sensational fifties in the match and steered the Bangalore-based franchise to a comprehensive victory. However, Karn Sharma also contributed to the win by picking two crucial wickets for his team. On the other hand, KKR failed to impress in their first game and lost the rain-affected match by seven runs to PBKS.

RCB will look to carry the momentum in the second match as well. Meanwhile, the Kolkata-based side will be eying their maiden win when they enter the ground on Thursday (April 6).

Pitch report:

The track at Eden Gardens is known for its batter-friendly nature and also provides assistance to the spinners. The due factor might play a role in the game and will prove to be helpful for the team batting second. Notably, the venue has hosted 12 T20I matches so far and seven of those have been won by the chasing side.

Probable XIs:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mandeep Singh, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Anukul Roy, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Michael Bracewell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, Mohammed Siraj

Head-to-head record

Played: 30 | KKR won: 16 | RCB won: 14 | No result: 0

Match Prediction:

Case 1:

• KKR wins the toss and bowls first
• Powerplay score: 50-60
• RCB total: 175-185

Case 2:

• RCB wins the toss and bowls first
• Powerplay score: 55-65
• KKR total: 185-195

Team bowling first to win the contest.

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April 06, 2023 at 10:14AM