RCB vs KXIP: 3 factors that will ensure an RCB victory

The 2020 season of IPL has been mostly kind to RCB. They've won 5 of their 7 matches in the league stage, whereas, Kings XI Punjab having lost 5 consecutive games are on the brink of an early exit.

Excluding their previous games against the Knight Riders, the Kings have managed to lose matches despite their openers faring well on the field.

KKXI's confidence in knowing that they will be up against the only team they've managed to beat during this season may be shortlived. RCB have been prepping up and Virat Kohli's men are confident after bagging 2 massive victories against CSK and KKR.

RCB will want to ensure that they keep their winning momentum going as they near the playoffs. Here is what the RCB team needs to do to ensure a win against the Kings XI.

#1) Get Rahul and Agarwal out early

KXIP's openers have been in top form this year.

It goes without saying, the duo Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul have been the best performing players in their team. The pair have managed to collectively score 721 runs in 7 games. We can expect RCB to do what they did against KKR and get the spinners in early. Given the form that Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal have been in, RCB has a chance to take out the openers early on.

#2) Understand that catches win matches

Virat Kohli dropped Rahul twice in the last RCB v KXIP encounter.

In their last game against KXIP, weak fielding cost RCB the match. After skipper Kohli dropped two catches, Rahul went on a rampage and got 43 runs in his last 9 balls. RCB have improved their fielding considerably. However, they must learn to seize opportunities as they surface or in this case, fall from the skies.

#3) Go in with the same playing XI

Playing the same XI as the previous game gives RCB a lot of options.

RCB defeated the Knight Riders and earned bragging rights in the presence of the same team that made a mockery of their bowling back in 2019. The main reason for this was their squad selection.

The squad had 7 players who could bat - Padikkal, Finch, Kohli, de Villiers, Dube, Morris, and Sundar; and 7 bowlers - Saini, Udana, Siraj, Chahal, Sundar, Morris, and Dube.

This provides skipper Virat Kohli multiple options with both the batting and bowling line-up, a great situation for any captain to be in at the moment.