Three bets that will help you cash out the RCB vs KKR game
Kohli was in great form against CSK
|BCCI
Two teams with same number of wins and also the same result in the last game, RCB and KKR, last year's underachievers, lock horns in Sharjah as they look to trump each other. Both Virat and DK have returned back to form and will look to inspire and lead from the front in this thrilling contest.
Virat Kohli runs over 29.5 @1.83
King Kohli has switched on the beast mode and is now slaying bowling attacks for fun, which we saw on Saturday against Chennai Super Kings as he powered his side to a match-winning total. With RCB, Aaron Finch is failing big time and it means that Kohli has to come early to the crease. It has made him play anchor's role, which he does to perfection and goes hard only in latter stages of the game like he did against MS Dhoni's men. Kohli playing the anchor means he will be scoring more than 29 runs more often not, as he plays percentage cricket, so this is one market that you should surely target. His last three knocks have fetched him 90*, 43 and 72* and he's in great form now. Overall as well, the RCB skipper has 674 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders at 37.44, and given Sharjah's flat pitch, Kohli should feast in the encounter.
RCB's top batsman- Virat Kohli @3
Taking the first point ahead, after the last game, there's no doubt that King Kohli isn't only back to form but he's looking at his best. Be it his walking leg-side flick for six, innovative ramp shot for a boundary, bullet six over long on or mad running between the wickets in the heat of UAE, which saw him even beat Dhoni's 4G-esque speed as he scampered back for a two in the final over, this is peak Kohli. With AB de Villiers' form slipping in the last two games and Devdutt Padikkal's inexperience to finish his knock with flourish, Virat Kohli, given his form, batting position and the Sharjah wicket, he might well finish as the top run-scorer for the Reds. With 223 runs in six games, he has already entered the list of top six run-getters this IPL. In the last two games, Kohli has batted against KKR, he made a 58-ball-100 and a 49-ball-84 in last year's IPL. In fact, he averages a whopping 80 in Sharjah and all factors, when combined make him the X-factor in RCB's batting.
After 28 and 11 and failing to impress, KKR opener Shubman Gill returned back to his merry run-scoring ways as he made a brilliant 57 against Kings XI Punjab. He added 82 runs with skipper Dinesh Karthik and helped his side make 164 after Tripathi, Rana and Morgan flopped. This year, Gill has made 220 runs at an average of 44 and has played the anchor role for his side. He has made two fifties and both have come in winning causes against SRH and KXIP respectively. He is relishing the opener's slot and is putting up consistent performances and looks a batsman with solid temperament and maturity beyond his age. The Punjab youngster should cross the 26-run-mark as his role is that of an anchor so he can play without taking much risks and on a graveyard like Sharjah, it shouldn't be much of a problem to get going. Gill's average is an exceptional 45.6 when it comes to opening the batting, which makes this market a great one to earn bucks.
