Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer
HIGHLIGHTS, IPL 2021 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Live Score and Updates from Abu Dhabi
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat(w), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sachin Baby, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal [IPL 2021 KKR vs RCB Toss Live Updates]
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan(c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik(w), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna [IPL 2021 Points Table: Who will bag the two points in KKR vs RCB match?]
Eoin Morgan - Looks really good, it should stay pretty similar for the entire length of the game. Hoping that the performances will change in this phase of the tournament. It's been challenging, but we are happy to be back here.
Virat Kohli - 'We will bat first. Looks like a good pitch, the grass will hold it together, will slow down as the game progresses. This one's special, we promised back in May that we'll play for the Covid warriors, here it is - we'll auction this uniform and the proceeds will go to them. Two debutants for us - KS Bharat and Wanindu Hasranga'
"Humidity is right up there. The sun is about to set... Virat's 200th game today. The top five really enjoy batting together. I think there is more than enough talent. It is a matter of getting the job done, and getting the runs out there. There is definitely some hard work behind closed doors... It is fun to get ready for a tournament like this." - AB de Villiers ahead of the match.
"We need to win games for sure, but we're not stressing ourselves, taking it one game at a time. Once we keep going through each hurdle, we will think about the other one. There is pressure, but you can't put too much on yourself. You can do whatever is in my control, be it with the bat, ball or the field. I just want to contribute to the team. Definitely, I would want to contribute (even if I miss out with either bat or ball), sometimes you will have good games with both bat and ball, but that doesn't happen everyday. It's very hot and humid. We're trying to get accustomed to the heat, we did have some day games in the Caribbean (Premier League), but it wasn't as hot as it is here." - Andre Russell
The two sides incurred contrasting fates in the first half of the 14th season. Virat Kohli's men won their first four matches for the first time in any season before losing to Chennai Super Kings and then to Punjab Kings in their final game before the suspension of the league. Kolkata, on the other hand, won their opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad before losing five of their next six games, including a 38-run defeat against RCB.
Drawing inspiration from their impressive show in the first half, RCB will be hoping to continue their form in the UAE to reach the playoffs for the second straight season, while KKR will aim to bounce back from the poor first half.
