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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in what promises to be an exciting match in the 2023 IPL today. RCB have been decent this season and are slowly building momentum, while KKR seem to have fallen off a cliff after that remarkable Rinku Singh effort.
This match is a vital one for Nitish Rana and team if they have to build some form heading further into the tournament.
RCB head into the match on the back of a thrilling win against the Rajasthan Royals by seven runs. Meanwhile, KKR suffered a defeat in their previous game against the Chennai Super Kings.
There have always been exciting matches between RCB and KKR and this particular one at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium could well be another interesting fixture.
Here, we take a look at 3 things KKR need to get right for their match against RCB:
#3 Discipline with the ball in powerplay
KKR have been woeful with the ball in the powerplay and the lack of penetration from Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee has not helped them either. The last time these two sides met, both Umesh and Southee were put to the sword by the RCB batters and this is one area where an improvement is needed.
Umesh has picked up just the solitary wicket in seven matches this season and has leaked runs with an economy rate of 9.44. There is no control in the powerplay overs and if this trend continues, RCB batters will run away with the game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
#2 Inconsistent at the top
KKR have tried a whole host of options as openers, but they have not clicked. They have tried Rahamanullah Gurbaz, Litton Das, Jason Roy, N Jagadeesan and barring Roy, none of the other batters have looked comfortable.
This has put a lot of pressure on Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh and Andre Russell. Knight Riders will be better off putting trust in a set of openers and giving them a long rope.
Jagadeesan had a terrific domestic season and should be the opener along with Jason Roy. The Tamil Nadu man can also keep wickets and a good match against RCB should hold him in great shape for the rest of the season.
Knight Riders can also plan around their opening combination and can use either Rinku Singh or Andre Russell as a floater in the batting order.
#1 Andre Russell and Sunil Narine
Both Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are pivotal to KKR’s fortunes. However, both these players have looked out of form so far. In seven matches this season, Narine has picked up just six wickets and has given away runs with an economy of 8.68. He has to be better and give Nitish Rana the control in the middle overs.
Andre Russell, on the other hand, has not looked like himself. In seven matches so far, Russell has only scored 107 runs and this includes the 35 off 19 balls he made against Punjab. He has refused to read match situations and keeps getting out at the most inopportune moments.
And then there is his fitness that keeps impacting his bowling. In seven matches, he has bowled just 31 deliveries and hence, Knight Riders have not been able to close out innings both with the bat and ball.
