IPL 2021: Match 30, KKR vs RCB Match Prediction – Who will win today’s IPL match?

Preview   

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) started the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) with four wins on the trot. However, the Virat Kohli-led unit has stuttered a wee bit after losing two out of their last three games. Even in the game against the Delhi Capitals (DC), they got over the line by a solitary run.

In their next match, they would be up against the Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). After beating them at the Chepauk, the Challengers would be looking to put forth a similar show even at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The Knights, on the other hand, lost their previous game at the hands of the Capitals and are placed sixth in the table. They need a win desperately to make their way up the points, but the task won’t be easy against the in-form RCB.

Match Details

Match – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – 30th match

Venue – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Time – 7:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network, Hotstar

Pitch Report

The pitch in Ahmedabad has been fairly decent for batting. But the track has also helped the slower bowlers, especially the spinners, to a large extent. Batting second remain as the preferred option since there are runs on offer from the strip.

The conditions will be sunny with the temperature around 36 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be on the lower side with no chances of a downpour.

Avg first innings score: 157 (4 matches in IPL 2021 at the Narendra Modi Stadium)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 2, Lost – 2, Tied – 0

Probable Playing XIs:

Kolkata Knight Riders

Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi

Bench: Karun Nair, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Ben Cutting, Pawan Negi, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Vaibhav Arora, Sandeep Warrier, Harbhajan Singh, Shakib Al Hasan, Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (C), Washington Sundar/Rajat Patidar, AB de Villiers (WK), Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Daniel Sams, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj,

Bench: Suyash Prabhudessai, Sachin Baby, Pavan Deshpande, Rajat Patidar/Washington Sundar, Mohammad Azharuddeen, Finn Allen, KS Bharat, Daniel Christian, Navdeep Saini

Head-to-Head

Overall

Played – 28 | Kolkata Knight Riders– 15 | Royal Challengers Bangalore – 13 |N/R – 0

At neutral venues

Played – 7 | Kolkata Knight Riders – 2 | Royal Challengers Bangalore – 5 |N/R – 0

Probable best batsman of the match

AB de Villiers-– Royal Challengers Bangalore

AB de Villiers couldn’t get going in RCB’s previous match, but the threat he poses to the opposition can’t be undermined. In seven games, he has scored 207 runs at an average and strike rate of 51.75 and 164.28 respectively.

Against the Knights, the 37-year-old has notched 511 runs at an average and strike rate of 39.31 and 156.27 respectively. The focus will again be on the right-hander.

Harshal Patel– Royal Challengers Bangalore

Harshal Patel has been exceptional for the Challengers at the death. Though he went for quite a few runs in the previous game, overall, numbers are worth envying. In seven games, the fast bowler has 17 wickets to his name at an economy of 9.17.

In RCB’s last meeting against the Knights, the pacer bowled beautifully in the death overs as he picked up two wickets, conceding a mere 17 runs.

Today’s match prediction: Bangalore to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.