IPL 2022 | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Preview, head to head, where to watch, and betting tips

Red-hot Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be looking to carry the momentum when they take on depleted Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Wednesday (March 30) in Match 6 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. While the KKR, led by revitalized Shreyas Iyer, will fancy their chances to climb up to the top of the points table by winning this fixture, the RCB will seek to register a maiden win under their newly-appointed captain Faf du Plessis.

The KKR, last season’s runner-ups, did not have much trouble in the tournament opener against defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). They restricted them to 131/5, thanks to a disciplined bowling performance, led by Umesh Yadav, and chased down the target with six wickets and nine balls to spare. Ajinkya Rahane top-scored in their innings, with 34-ball 44.

The RCB, on the other hand, staged an excellent batting show against Punjab Kings (PBKS). They piled up 205/2, with du Plessis (88 off 57 balls), Virat Kohli (41* off 29 balls), and Dinesh Karthik (32* off 14 balls) setting the stage on fire. However, their bowlers put up a lacklustre bowling effort, and as a result, PBKS reached the target with an over to spare.

Form Guide

The victory over CSK has given KKR a major boost before they lock horns with RCB. However, given RCB’s potent batting unit, it will not be an easy task for KKR bowlers to stage a similar outing as they had against CSK.

Head to Head

KKR and RCB have met 30 times in the past. While KKR ended up winning on 17 occasions, RCB had the last laugh 13 times.

Predicted XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Siddarth Kaul, Mohammed Siraj.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), Sheldon Jackson (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Nitish Rana, Sam Billings, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy.

Best betting tip

Virat Kohli to score fewer than 28.5 @ 1.83

Kohli's struggles against spin is no longer a secret. Considering KKR’s luxury of having two of the premier mystery spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, it would be a major surprise if the Indian stalwart scores big in this fixture.

Besides, Kohli’s numbers against KKR in the last couple of years were not the greatest either. He has only managed to score 100 runs in his last five innings against the Purple and Gold Brigade, that too at a questionable strike rate of 113.65. So, betting against Kohli scoring more than 28.5 should be a safe option.

Match Prediction

The KKR has often been criticised for their tactics at IPL auctions. But they have, more often than not, have proved the critics wrong. Keeping their impressive overall show against CSK in mind, this should not be a tough challenge. Also, there will be no Glenn Maxwell or Jos Hazlewood to inspire RCB against KKR. So, our prediction will be in favour of KKR.

Match info 

Match -Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Indian Premier League 2022 MATCH NO: 6, 

Date – 30/03/2022

Time – 7.30 PM IST

Venue - Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai