Virat Kohli will be aiming to take the pressure off his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammates when they step on the field on Monday to face a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi. Kohli, who announced on the match's eve that he will step down as RCB captain at the end of the season, has now brought everyone's attention to how the perennial underachievers of IPL fare with an outgoing captain.
This makes it important for Kohli to pick the right combination for the match and to his advantage the team currently has no major injury concerns. The game will be nothing less than a do or die for KKR as well. The Eoin Morgan-led side is currently seventh in the points table and are struggling to find their winning XI.
Talking about the Dream 11 team of this match, the quality that RCB possesses and lack of it with KKR means the line-up is expected to be RCB heavy.
Let's take a look at what can be the strongest Dream 11 team in KKR vs RCB match
Batsman (Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Rana)
RCB opener Devdutt Padikkal is touted to be the biggest star of Indian cricket in the times to come as he has been scoring run in bulks at the domestic level. Padikkal made his IPL debut last year and this season he has scored 195 runs in 6 matches at an average of 39, including a century.
Apart from Padikkal, Nitish Rana of KKR can also be a good option in the Dream 11 team. Nitish Rana had a great start to his campaign in the first phase of IPL 2021. The left-handed batsman has scored 201 runs in 7 matches at an average of 28.71, including 2 half-centuries.
All-rounder (Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell and Sunil Narine)
No one would want to make the mistake of leaving Andre Russell out of the Dream11 team. Russell is such a player who single-handedly has the ability to change the course of the match with both the ball and the bat. His stormy batting in the death overs makes him a prolific hitter. At the same time, Glenn Maxwell and Sunil Narine can also prove to be great options as all-rounders.
Wicket keeper (AB de Villiers)
It is hard to keep out AB de Villiers from your team, especially when he is in devastating form, highlighted from his century in a practice match few days ago. So far in the season, AB has scored 207 runs in 6 matches at an average of over 50 and a strike rate of over 160.
Bowler (Harshal Patel, Varun Chakraborty, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson)
RCB bowler Harshal Patel is in possession of the Purple Cap with 17 wickets in the current IPL season and is an automatic choice in the XI. Mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty also has the ability to surprise with his bowling. Apart from the domestic duo, New Zealand bowlers Kyle Jamieson (RCB) and Lockie Ferguson (KKR) are in reckoning for a spot in XI, especially when Pat Cummins is not available for KKR.
KKR vs RCB Dream 11 Team Prediction: AB de Villiers (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Glenn Maxwell, Nitish Rana (VC), Oneindu Hasaranga, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Varun Chakraborty.
PREDICTED PLAYING 11
Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C), Sunil Narine/Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shivam Mavi/Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lockie Ferguson/Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy, Famous Krishna.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Vanindu Hasranga/Tim David, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
PITCH REPORT
Alike the Dubai surface, the pitch of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi is expected to be two-paced with 170 being the highest score. Experts suggest, the captain winning the toss would most likely bat first and look to set a target.
WEATHER UPDATES
It's expected to be warm day in Abu Dhabi with the temperature fluctuating arpund the 30 degrees but the teams are expected some respite from the heat wave while rain interruption is not a possibility. Dew factor can play a role in the second innings.
LIVE STREAMING
You can see the IPL 2021 KKR vs RCB Live Streaming Online on Hotstar and JIOTV, and TV Telecast on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3, and Star Sports HD channels.
