RCB vs KKR pits together two of the most popular Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. The Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who won back-to-back matches, has collected eight points from seven games. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be keen to return to winning ways after having lost their last four fixtures.
The match will be played at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday at 7:30 PM.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
RCB heavily depends on four players – Faf du Plessis, Mohammed Siraj, Glenn Maxwell, and Virat Kohli. The former South Africa skipper leads the Orange Cap race, while the Indian pacer has the joint-most wickets this season – 13 wickets. Kohli and Maxwell have made 500 runs between them.
Experienced Dinesh Karthik, young batter Mahipal Lomror, and all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed haven’t been able to contribute with the bat. The bowling attack, too, needs to provide proper support to Siraj. Harshal Patel produced a match-winning performance against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. He took 3/32 and reached ten wickets this season.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR is winless since the stunning victory over Gujarat Titans. Venkatesh Iyer hasn’t scored enough runs after his century against Mumbai Indians, while Nitish Rana managed just 36 runs in KKR’s last three fixtures. However, the fans will be delighted with Jason Roy and Rinku Singh. Both batters hit a half-century against Chennai Super Kings last week.
The KKR bowling unit, especially the fast bowlers, has been disappointing so far. Umesh Yadav, who took 2/16 against RCB last season, has taken only one wicket in seven outings. Shardul Thakur, too, is yet to make an impact with the ball. With ten wickets, Varun Chakravarthy leads KKR’s wicket charts. Uncapped Suyash Sharma and West Indies’ Sunil Narine have seven and six wickets, respectively.
RCB vs KKR – Head-to-Head Stats
RCB and MI have faced each other 31 times in the IPL, with KKR winning 17 matches and RCB emerging victorious 14 times. In their last meeting in the 2022 season, RCB won by three wickets.
RCB vs KKR IPL 2023 Stats
- Top Run-scorer: Faf du Plessis – 405 runs (RCB); Venkatesh Iyer – 254 runs (KKR)
- Most Wickets: Mohammed Siraj – 13 wickets (RCB); Varun Chakravarthy – 10 wickets (KKR)
- Most Sixes: Faf du Plessis – 25 sixes (RCB); Rinku Singh – 17 sixes (KKR)
RCB vs KKR – Who Will Win?
RCB has a stronger batting lineup – Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, and Virat Kohli – than KKR, and these players can put up a score that will be difficult for KKR to chase down. However, if KKR’s top order can give them a good start, the rest of the batting should be able to build on it. RCB has a slight edge due to the presence of experienced batters and home advantage.