It will be a test of Virat Kohli’s tactical skills against Eoin Morgan’s icy demeanor when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on former champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday. Kohli, who has decided to step down from captaincy after this edition, has led RCB to the finals in 2016, apart from reaching the play-offs twice in 2015 and 2020, and he took things by storm in his last storm as captain. Would like to finish at a higher level. .
IPL 2021 Full Coverage | the schedule | Result | point tally | orange cap | purple hat
For Morgan, it is about regaining the glory that has been lost for KKR, a team that achieved great success under Gautam Gambhir, who led them to two IPL titles in a span of three years in 2012 and 2014. On paper, it will be a battle between two equally drawn teams, but overall, KKR have a slight edge, having won 15 out of the 28 matches they have played over the years.
But past records would count for little and it all boils down to winning small moments in the match, something that Kohli and Morgan would know very well. Both the captains have enough ammunition and it will be all about managing the resources.
Read also: Kohli discusses quitting RCB captaincy with ABD
What: IPL 2021 Eliminator, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders
When: 11 October 2021 (Monday)
where: Sharjah Cricket Ground
Time: 7:30 PM IS
rcb team news
RCB will be full of confidence after securing a thrilling victory over Delhi Capitals with a last-ball six in their last league match, finishing third in the standings with 18 points from 14 matches. They have a formidable batting line-up that includes AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal apart from Kohli but they have failed to find a perfect combination so far.
While their top-order has started on most occasions, the middle-order looked uncertain with the move to bring back Daniel Christian at number three. Also AB de Villiers has been dismissed at No. 5 but Srikar India’s emergence has been a big positive.
The wicket-keeper batsman scored 78 runs in 52 balls at number three and entered the record books by hitting a last-ball six for RCB in the last game.
One person who has stood up for RCB is Glenn Maxwell. The Australian power-hitter has 498 runs and has gone to Kohli this season. However, the RCB skipper has missed the last two innings and needs to find his touch quickly.
In bowling, Harshal Patel has been sensational with 30 wickets in 14 matches, including a hat-trick against Mumbai Indians. Mohammad Siraj and George Garten have also been impressive, while Yuzvendra Chahal has responded to his critics with 16 wickets this season.
KKT Team News
KKR, on the other hand, made a spectacular change after a poor performance in the first leg, winning five out of seven games in the UAE leg to finish fourth on 14 points.
Morgan’s team made it to the playoffs with a colossal 86-run win over Rajasthan Royals and will look to take the momentum into the eliminator.
KKR have also been served well by the bowlers, who have put in some stellar performances. While the quick pairing of Lockie Ferguson and Shivam Mavi reached the top at the right time sharing seven wickets in their previous match, the spinners led by Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Shakib Al Hasan have also delivered impressive performances.
Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana are crucial in the batting and it will be interesting to see how they handle the deceitful variations of Patel and Chahal on the slow Sharjah pitch.
Captain Morgan has been in poor form and it is a matter of concern.
full squad
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (capt), Navdeep Saini, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Rajat Patidar, Dushmantha Chamira, Pawan Deshpande, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Baby, Vanindu Hasranga, George Garten, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Devdutt Padikkal , Kyle Jamieson, Suyash Prabhudesai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Akash Deep, AB de Villiers.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Pranand Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dubey, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert.
get all IPL news and cricket score Here
.