Strongest Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Playing XI against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

The Royal Challengers Bangalore side will kickstart their campaign in Phase 2 of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side at Abu Dhabi. In IPL Phase 1, the Virat Kohli-led outfit produced a good performance and is stationed at the 3rd place in the points table, having won 5 out of their 7 games.

When they met the Kolkata side in Phase 1 of the tournament, the Bangalore side pulverized their opponents by 38 runs. And surely, the Bangalore outfit will look to start their campaign in Phase 2 with a win. Having said that, let us take a look at the predicted playing XI for the RCB side for their first match of the second leg of the IPL.

Openers: Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal

The left-right combo of skipper Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal will open the batting for the Bangalore outfit. Virat Kohli experienced a decent run with the willow in the first half of the tournament. The batting legend scored 198 runs in 7 innings and scored his runs at an average of 33.00. Kohli is the only batsman to have scored over 6000 runs (6076) in IPL cricket and has also amassed a staggering 5 centuries and 40 half-centuries as well.

Devdutt Padikkal experienced a good run with the bat in the first leg of the tournament. The 21-year-old left-hander scored 195 runs in 6 innings and scored his runs at a strike rate in excess of 150.

Middle Order: Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers

The middle-order will comprise of Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, and AB de Villiers. Patidar could not set the stage on fire in Phase 1 of the tournament. The right-handed batsman could score only 71 runs in the 4 innings that he batted and scored his runs at an average of just 17.75.

RCB’s overseas recruits, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers demolished bowling attacks in the first leg of the tournament. While Maxwell scored 223 runs in the 6 innings that he batted in Phase 1 at an average of 37.17, de Villiers scored 207 runs in 6 innings at an average of 51.75. If even one of Maxwell or de Villiers gets going, then Eoin Morgan and his men will not be a happy lot.

All Rounders: Shahbaz Ahmed and Wanindu Hasaranga

The two all-rounders who will take the field for the RCB side are Shahbaz Ahmed and Wanindu Hasaranga. Ahmed played 5 matches in IPL Phase 1 and scalped 4 wickets at an average of just 8.00. He can also strike lusty blows with the bat as well.

Wanindu Hasaranga has been roped in by the Virat Kohli-led side for the second leg of the tournament, and it will be interesting to see how he performs on his IPL debut. Hasaranga has an excellent record with the ball in T20Is played for the Sri Lankan side. The right-arm spinner has taken 36 wickets in 24 matches at an average of just 15.47.

Bowlers: Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, and Yuzvendra Chahal

The 4 bowlers who are likely to take the field for RCB are Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Jamieson was amongst the wickets in IPL Phase 1 and prized out 9 batsmen in 7 matches at an average of 24.56, and a strike rate of just 16.

Harshal Patel was the standout performer for the Virat Kohli-led side in IPL Phase 1. The right-arm pacer is the current holder of the Purple Cap and scalped a staggering 17 wickets in just 7 matches at an average of 15.12. He will look to continue his good form with the ball in the UAE leg of the IPL as well.

The last two spots in the RCB line-up will be taken by Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal. Siraj picked up 6 wickets in IPL Phase 1 and picked his wickets at a decent strike rate of 26.00. Yuzvendra Chahal has a plethora of experience under his belt in IPL cricket and has scalped 125 wickets in 106 matches. In Phase 1 of the IPL, Chahal produced a mediocre performance with the ball. The right-arm spinner picked up just 4 wickets in 7 matches, and also leaked runs at an economy rate of 8.26 runs per over.