Maxwell, Iyer in focus as RCB look to win two on the bounce at home

While what the 22 players on the field do would determine the outcome, the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 29 (Friday) has a subtle sub-plot. You see, in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, when Gautam Gambhir was the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he and Virat Kohli had a spat that took the sheen away from the fact that RCB successfully defended 126 in Lucknow. 

While we can expect some great action on the field at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, with Gambhir now in the KKR camp, those watching would certainly hold their breath for whatever off-field explosion that could take place on the sidelines.

It certainly gives a feeling that more than just the two points could be at stake when both teams take the field. RCB do not have a great IPL record at home, and a chance to win two in a row is something they would look to grab with both hands. 

RCB vs KKR Head-to-Head

Overall - Games 32 | RCB 14 | KKR 18

In Bengaluru - Games 11 | RCB 4 | KKR 7

Venue Details

You have to go back to IPL 2017 to find out the last time a team winning the toss at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium decided to bat first. The average first innings score here in IPL since 2023 has been 193. In the previous game here, Punjab Kings (PBKS) put up just 176, which was well under-par. 

Anything less than 200 will certainly look at the Chinnaswamy and with the firepower in both sides, do not be surprised if both sides get there. As far as the bowling is concerned, the pacers have picked up nearly 68% of the wickets in IPL since 2023, and one can expect them to dominate proceedings once again. 

They have been dominant in terms of balls per wicket (19.9) and runs per wicket (31.7), but one area the spinners are ahead is the economy rate, conceding 9.1 RPO, compared to the pacers, who have an economy rate of 9.6.

Weather forecast

We are sure to have a full game in Bengaluru, and it could very well get cooler as the game rolls on. It is expected to be around 32 degrees Celsius at the start, but could go down to as low as 28 at some point. There will be humidity in the range of 25-35% and we can expect some pleasant wind to blow across the stadium, much to the relief of those present. Dew may not play a massive factor.

Things to watch out for

Can Shreyas step up?

Shreyas Iyer returned to the IPL with a two-ball duck in their first game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). KKR felt his absence last year in the middle-overs where he usually dominates the spinners. Iyer finds the fence at regular intervals, as his balls per boundary ratio of 5.7 in IPL 2022 depicts. However, in the last two years, Shreyas has shown some vulnerability against leg-spin, having been dismissed 4/6 times against them and also against left-arm pacers 4/11. 

The odds are against Shreyas against RCB as they possess both those bowling types and moreover, the KKR captain averages just 25.3 in 12 innings against RCB – his worst against a franchise in IPL (Min: 5 inns). However, RCB have to be wary of Shreyas, especially during a chase, as he has struck at 142 and averaged a shade under 43 while batting second in T20s since 2022.

Where is the Big Show?

Glenn Maxwell has scored just three off the just six deliveries he has faced across the two innings in IPL 2024. While It’s still early stages of the tournament, RCB would dearly want their ‘Big Show’ to actually show up at the Chinnaswamy on Friday (March 29). There’s good news and bad news for him, though. The good news is that he has a terrific record against KKR having hit 453 runs – the most against an opposition – at a strike-rate of 142. 

However, on the flipside, KKR have two spinners – Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy – who, between them, have dismissed the Australian on seven occasions, conceding at about seven an over. Who will come out on top?

Can Starc justify his price tag?

Bought by the KKR for a whopping INR 24.75 crore at the IPL 2024 auction, Mitchell Starc failed to deliver in the first game against SRH, when his team needed him. That his side managed to pull-off a close victory would be a huge relief for the pacer. He returns to familiar surroundings at the Chinnaswamy, where he played for RCB in 2014 and 2015, picking up 12 wickets at a strike rate of 17.5 in 10 matches. He conceded 53 runs from his four overs against SRH, including 26 runs in the penultimate over.

KKR were the most expensive pace attack in IPL 2023, conceding 10.5 an over. They conceded 50 or more runs on 14 occasions last season, which is once against the most for any team. Starc, who is known to swing the ball early on and bowl toe-crushing Yorkers in the backend of the innings, needs to step up for the team on a consistent basis going forward.

Probable XIs:

RCB would certainly be pondering including one of Lockie Ferguson or Reece Topley. Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has done reasonably well in the two games so far, and hence, Ferguson could be a potential like-for-like replacement for Alzarri Joseph. KKR, though, are likely to go with the same team that beat SRH, with either Suyash Sharma or Manish Pandey coming in as impact players depending on whether they bat first or bowl.

RCB: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat (wk), Alzarri Joseph/Lockie Ferguson, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal; Karn Sharma/Mahipal Lomror

KKR: Philip Salt (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy; Suyash Sharma/Manish Pandey (IP)

Telecast and Streaming Details

The match will be live on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on Jio Cinema. The game will start at 7:30 PM, with the toss happening at 7 PM.

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