Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Date & Time: 16 May at 1830 hr (GST)
BIG PICTURE
If there ever had been a match this season that contains all the ingredients for a mouth-watering battle but comes with the prospect of being washed off, this is the one. The weather forecast for Monday evening is hardly promising, but in case the rain gods decide to have mercy, we indeed have an enthralling encounter on the cards.
Royal Challengers Bangalore are currently sitting sixth with three matches in hand on 10 points. Their comprehensive 144-run victory against Gujarat Lions boosted their net run rate, and while a defeat at the hands of Gautam Gambhir’s men will not signal the end of the road for them, it will certainly thrust them into a position where their fate will be decided by the results of other matches.
The Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, are in a far better situation with a decent run rate and 14 points from 11 matches so far. A shrewd captain, Gambhir will settle for no less than a win since he understands the rewards of being at the top all too well. The wet conditions at Eden Gardens are likely to aid the spinners, but that will not imply a low scoring game with the likes of AB de Villiers and Andre Russell involved.
KEY BATTLES
Yusuf Pathan vs Bangalore bowling: Although not a steady performer in the Kolkata jersey, Pathan has been solid in the last few matches. He has remained unbeaten in his previous four innings and has smacked two half-centuries in three matches. His strike-rate of 165.62 this season is the second highest among batsmen who have faced in excess of 100 deliveries.
Bangalore middle-order vs Kolkata spinners: In what is expected to be yet another rain-curtailed match, Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine must be rearing to go against the likes of de Villiers, Shane Watson and KL Rahul. The slowness of the Eden pitch and the turn on offer are bound to provide enough obstacles for RCB’s stroke-makers, but considering de Villier’s form, it promises to be an exciting encounter.
WATCH OUT FOR
Virat Kohli: The skipper has been the bulwark of RCB’s batting line-up this season. A paradigm of consistency, his scintillating form has already yielded three centuries in 11 matches, the last of them coming against Gujarat Lions on Saturday. In a must-win battle against the Knight Riders, Kohli must produce the goods for RCB to keep their hopes of qualification alive.
Kohli’s captaincy will matter a lot on Monday
EXPECTED XIs
Brad Hogg will probably have to sit out again, given his poor form and Narine’s reliability. Kolkata should field an unchanged eleven since Umesh Yadav’s hamstring injury may take more time to recover. Besides, Ankit Rajpoot has done enough to merit another chance in the IPL.
Robin Uthappa (wk), Gautam Gambhir, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Suryakumar Yadav, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Ankit Rajpoot, Morne Morkel
Unless skipper Kohli decides to tweak with the line-up in order to have a more dependable option than Gayle as his opening partner, Bangalore will likely retain the same squad that completely demolished Gujarat a couple of days ago. Travis Head might get a look in, should Kohli opt for the change, but that may be imprudent since all it takes for a player like Gayle to return to form is one over.
Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, KL Rahul (wk), Sachin Baby, Stuart Binny, Chris Jordan, Sreenath Aravind, Varun Aaron, Yuzvendra Chahal