File photo of RCB's AB de Villiers (centre) with skipper Virat Kohli (far right).
Kolkata Knight Riders' road to IPL 2021 qualifiers is shrinking by the day as the Eoin Morgan-led side has been largely putting in pedestrian shows with five losses in seven games. The team were handed a drubbing by title contenders Delhi Capitals in the last match when Prithvi Shaw ran away with the show with a blistering 82. KKR now face another stiff task in Royal Challengers Bangalore, who are having a contrasting fortune with five wins in two games.
The Virat Kohli-led outfit, however, lost both their matches in space of three games and that's where KKR would feel they have an opening. That surely calls for a gruelling battle with two star-studded teams coming at the fore. Keeping that in mind, we have picked the best fantasy XI for the game where we have included AB de Villiers as captain while Andre Russel has been picked as vice-captain.
Batsman: Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi
Devdutt Padikkal was in form of his life at the early stages of the season but his bat has been quiet over the last two games. However, let's not forget that the left-handed batsman's last big knock was a century against Rajasthan Royals 10 days ago and makes him a must for the game. While Nitish Rana has been a regular feature for KKR matches, this time around we have ignored him for Shubman Gill, who has recently shown he is gearing up for big knocks. KKR's consistent No.3 Rahul Tripathi continues to be in our line-up.
Wicketkeeper: Ab de Villiers (VC)
The man needs no instruction and his devastating form makes him an automatic pick for the fantasy XI and is also the vice-captain for the match. while KKR's Dinesh Karthik has a lot of ground to make.
All-rounder: Andre Russell (C), Shahbaz Ahmad, Glenn Maxwell
KKR's last match was an utter failure but Andre Russell was back at best of his batting prowess and the line-up is incomplete without him. The all-rounder is also picked as the captain for the game. RCB spinner Shahbaz Ahmed is also drafted to be in the XI as the left-arm off-spinner is expected to find worth in the slowing pitch of Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Glenn Maxwell didn't fire in the last game with a duck but still finds a spot in the XI.
Bowler: Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy
Pat Cummins not bowling with the new ball was big talking in the last game against Delhi Capitals while names likes Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna went for plenty inside the powerplay. Cummins later picked two inconsequential wickets in the game, indicating what KKR missed with the new ball. Harshal Patel and Mohammad Siraj are other automatic picks given their devastating forms. While Siraj has six wickets to his name, Patel is leading purple cap holder with 17 wickets in just seven games. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy is the only regular spinner in the line-up and is unavoidable given his ability to turn the match on its head.
