IPL 2019, Match 35, KKR vs RCB: Match Prediction – Weather Report, Pitch Conditions, Playing XIs and Live Streaming Details

Last time around, it was Andre Russell's 13-ball 48 that denied RCB a victory.

Published - 18 Apr 2019, 19:35 IST | Updated - 18 Apr 2019, 19:35 IST

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The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after losing seven out of their first eight games in this edition’s Indian Premier League (IPL) are now dependant on mathematical calculations in order to make their way to the playoffs. To add to their woes, RCB’s Net Run Rate -1.114 is nowhere near to the top teams in the T20 tournament. They would next face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

On the contrary, the Knight Riders (KKR) languish at the sixth spot but have a realistic chance of making it to the next round. Dinesh Karthik and his men lost their last three games, two of which came in the City of Joy. KKR have beaten the Challengers in their last five meetings and the Men in Gold and Purple would be hoping to get back to winning ways against the tournament’s current cellar dwellers.

Pitch Report

The pitch has been the best for batting in the extravaganza and scores of 170 plus is a testament to the batting-friendly conditions. However, in the game against CSK, the spinners got quite a substantial amount of assistance. Nevertheless, batting second remains to be the most preferable option as three out of the four games were won by the chasing sides.

Weather Report

As per Accuweather, there are chances of rain from the morning itself. And in the evening from 4 to 6 pm, it may pour down in Kolkata. However, during match time, the rain gods are more likely to be merciful. The temperature during the game will be in the mid-20s with the humidity in the 90s.

Team Combinations

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

The Knights may not make any change to their eleven. Andre Russell copped a blow on his neck and walked away. There’s no update on his injury. Narine and Lynn would open the batting with Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana at three and four. The onus would also be on Karthik and Gill. The spinners have been a tad inconsistent and the likes of Narine, Kuldeep and Chawla need to step up.

Probable XI

Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (C & wk), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Harry Gurney, Prasidh Krishna.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

The Challengers literally have nothing to lose and with Dale Steyn in the mix, the Red Army would be hoping for a change in fortunes. Apart from Navdeep Saini, the other pacers, especially Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Siraj, have been shambolic. With short boundaries, their task isn’t going to get any easier. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers remain to be the lynchpin of the RCB batting lineup.

Probable XI

Parthiv Patel (WK), Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Marcus Stoinis, Moeen Ali, Akshdeep Nath, Pawan Negi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, two out of Umesh Yadav/Mohammed Siraj/Dale Steyn/Kulwant Khejroliya.