The Indian Premier League is back, and what better way to kick off its 18th season than with a thrilling match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru? These two teams will face off at Kolkata’s home ground, Eden Gardens. This opening match is a rematch of the first-ever IPL game played 18 years ago.
Both teams have new captains, making today’s match a high-stakes test. RCB has put its faith in young Rajat Patidar, while KKR is led by seasoned batsman Ajinkya Rahane. Each team is eager to start the season with a win.
However, rain could dampen the excitement. There’s an 80% chance of heavy rain in Kolkata on Saturday, with a 50% chance of showers during the match. Fans will keep their fingers crossed that the weather doesn’t get in the way.
Looking at past performances, KKR has a slight edge, with 20 wins out of 34 matches against RCB. But RCB’s team looks stronger this time around.
Here’s a sneak peek at the potential lineups:
Predicted Lineups
Kolkata Knight Riders:
- Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper)
- Ajinkya Rahane
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi
- Rinku Singh
- Ramandeep Singh
- Andre Russell
- Sunil Narine
- Harshit Rana
- Enrich Nortje/Spencer Johnson
- Varun Chakravarthy
Impact Player: Mayank Markande
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
- Fil Salt
- Virat Kohli
- Rajat Patidar
- Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper)
- Tim David
- Liam Livingstone
- Krunal Pandya
- Josh Hazlewood/Romario Shepherd
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Rasikh Dar Salman
- Yash Dayal
Impact Sub: Suyash Sharma