KKR vs RCB pitch report: Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to return to winning ways when they host rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the crucial IPL 2024 fixture at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Shreyas Iyer-led KKR suffered a last-ball defeat while defending 223 runs against Rajasthan Royals in their last game. Kolkata remain second in the points table but have won just once in their last three games this season but remain favourites against RCB.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru struggle to get out of the bottom spot in the points table with six losses in their first seven games this season. They were thrashed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last game while chasing a record 288-run target and are in dire need of a win to remain in contention for the playoff qualification race.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata Pitch Report
Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens offers a balanced surface in T20 cricket but batters have dominated in all three IPL 2024 games here. Rajasthan Royals successfully chased down a record 224-run target at Eden Gardens in the last game while Kolkata chased 204 against Sunrisers in the first game at this venue this season. Teams bowling first have won all three games here this season so the toss is expected to play a big role in the result on Sunday.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata stats
Total T20I Matches: 12
Matches won batting first: 5
Matches won bowling first: 7
Average first innings score: 155
Average second innings score: 137
Highest total scored: 201/5 by Pakistan vs Bangladesh
Highest score chased: 162/4 by India vs West Indies
Lowest total scored: 70/10 by Bangladesh vs New Zealand
Lowest score defended: 186/5 by India vs West Indies
KKR vs RCB probable playing XIs:
Kolkata Knight Riders predicted playing XI: Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru predicted playing XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Saurav Chauhan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Reece Topley, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Siraj.
