The Indian Premier League is back, and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are set to face off against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. With 17 matches still up for grabs, the tournament is heating up. RCB is currently second on the points table, while KKR is in sixth place.
What to Expect from the Pitch
The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has seen its fair share of high-scoring matches, with teams often crossing the 200-run mark. The pitch tends to favor batsmen, but fast bowlers can get some help from the new ball. Historically, the team that bats second has a slight edge, winning 53 out of 96 matches, while the team that bats first has won 43 times.
Weather Forecast
There’s a chance of rain on May 17, with dark clouds and lightning expected in the evening and night. This could lead to interruptions and even a possible match cancellation. The weather conditions might play a significant role in determining the outcome.
Head-to-Head
RCB and KKR have clashed 35 times in the IPL, with KKR holding a slight edge, having won 20 matches to RCB’s 15. At the Chinnaswamy Stadium, KKR has dominated, winning 8 out of 12 encounters. In fact, RCB hasn’t beaten KKR at this venue since 2016. The stats suggest KKR might have the upper hand.
Here are the likely lineups:
- RCB: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal
- KKR: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakravarthy