KKR vs RCB: IPL 2023 Match preview, Possible lineups, Pitch report, and Dream XI team prediction

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be facing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ninth match of the IPL 2023 at Eden Gardens on April 6. Kolkata Knight Riders lost against Punjab Kings by seven runs on the DLS method in their opening game. On the other side, Royal Challengers Bangalore started their campaign with a dominating eight-wicket win over five-time champions Mumbai Indians. Read the full match preview, pitch report & every detail about the KKR vs RCB match with the likes of dream XI team prediction in our fantasy sports segment.

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KKR vs RCB:

Match Details

Match: 9
Date: 06/04/2023
Time: 7:30 pm IST
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Where to Watch: Star Sports, Jio Cinema

Venue Details | Pitch Report

The pitch of Eden Gardens is expected to be a good one to bat on. The average first-innings score across the last three IPL matches here is 207. Pacers have accounted for over 50 percent of the wickets on this pitch while, the spinners should also have a big say in the outcome of the match. Chasing is the preferred option upon winning the toss, with dew bound to come into play as the match progresses.

Last 3 IPL matches at Eden Gardens, Kolkata:

• 1st-innings score: 207
• 2nd-innings score: 193
• Matches won by the team batting 1st: 2
• Matches won by the team batting 2nd: 1

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | Head to Head

• Matches Played: 30
• KKR won: 16
• RCB won: 14

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KKR vs RCB:

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | Team News

Kolkata Knight Riders

Roy will join Knight Riders in time for Sunday's game in Ahmedabad, and Litton Das will fly in from Dhaka after the ongoing Test against Ireland. Lockie Ferguson, who missed their first game as well, is still bowling with half a run-up in the nets and is unlikely to play. Batting first, they could start with an extra batter with Russell slotted at No. 7 and Narine at 8, and sub out Mandeep Singh for a bowler to retain Venkatesh's bowling option for the second innings. In either case, they could also play Kulwant Khejroliya instead of Shardul Thakur, who leaked 43 in the first game, with enough batting depth.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Reece Topley will miss the KKR vs RCB game after dislocating his shoulder during the RCB vs MI game. The pacer has traveled to Kolkata to support his team but he will most definitely sit out of the Thursday clash.

In the XI, David Willey is most likely to take Topley's place. Injured Josh Hazlewood is still unavailable for RCB. Sri Lankan Wanindu Hasaranga is also not available. The rest of the starting XI is probably going to stay the same.

KKR vs RCB:

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | Possible Lineups

Kolkata Knight Riders:

• Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
• Venkatesh Iyer
• Nitish Rana (c)
• Mandeep Singh
• Andre Russell
• Rinku Singh
• Sunil Narine
• Shardul Thakur
• Tim Southee
• Umesh Yadav
• Varun Chakravarthy

KKR | Squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, Narayan Jagadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Weise, Kulwant Khejrolia, Mandeep Singh, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan.

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

• Faf du Plessis (c)
• Virat Kohli
• Michael Bracewell
• Glenn Maxwell
• Dinesh Karthik (wk)
• Shahbaz Ahmed
• David Willey
• Akash Deep
• Karn Sharma
• Mohammed Siraj
• Harshal Patel

RCB | Squad: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj, Faf Du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmad, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Karn Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, David Willey, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Will Jacks, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav

KKR vs RCB:

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | Dream XI Team Prediction