IPL 2021 Preview | RCB vs KKR: Different sides, similar paths, as prodigy faces maestro

The 2008 U19 World Cup triumph under the leadership of Virat Kohli certainly marked the beginning of a new era. 

The success in this edition of the World Cup broke the shackles for Kohli and he never looked back. 13 years later, the right-hander, one of the most successful batsmen of all time, is leading India across formats and is the captain of probably the most flamboyant team in the IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore. 

Some 10 years later, after Kohli had won the U19 World Cup, there was another right-handed batsman Shubman Gill who was making an identity for himself. He had already played some swashbuckling knocks in the 2018 edition of the Junior World Cup that India won eventually under Prithvi Shaw’s captaincy. 

He started to get recognised, made his India debut and was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders soon after. A franchise that was equally flamboyant as RCB, if not more. 

But to be the best, you have to play against the best and perform against the best. 

It felt as if Gill was waiting for such a chance to prove what is he capable of, and he did it in Australia under testing conditions. 

There is something about the tour Down Under which offers the Indian batsmen to show their mettle. Current captain Virat Kohli did it in his early days while KL Rahul on his debut tour for India and the latest addition to the tally was Shubman Gill. 

Unlike Kohli and Rahul, Gill might not have notched up some very big scores during his tour to Australia earlier this year but his valuable contributions didn’t get unnoticed. India won the four-Test series 2-1 and Gill was handed his maiden annual contract by the BCCI. 

When you look at Gill, there is something about his batting which reflects his abilities and the talent that he possesses. The right-hander has been travelling on a certain path once Kohli had followed. 

Cut to IPL 2021. Gill has looked off-colour since the beginning of this season and wasn’t really scoring runs until the last clash against Delhi Capitals. 

Opening the innings for KKR with Nitish Rana, Gill scored 43 off 38 but the Kolkata side lost the match after they only managed to put 154/6 in 20 overs that DC easily chased down by 7 wickets and spared more than three overs. 

Well, the team might not have made much the changes, but Gill's slight adjustment really worked for him. He took the guard outside line of leg stump that allowed him to get more space to play the strokes.

This probably is the major reason for KKR's disappointing show in this tournament so far. 

The batsmen have failed to complement each other. If the top order fired all the cylinders, the middle-order messed up and if the middle-order went all guns blazing, the top order choked. The KKR batting unit has failed to contribute consistently and that’s why they are on the back foot at the middle stages of the tournament. 

Talking about the Royal Challengers Bangalore, they have been looking good in this edition of the IPL barring the couple of matches that they lost. 

However, the margins of those defeats were really high. While CSK thumped them by 69 runs, Punjab Kings defeated Bangalore by 34 runs. 

Evidently, the RCB are on the same path that they have been in the past years and that is banking upon few players. 

Though the skipper Virat Kohli has talked about ‘balance’ in the team after they opted for Glenn Maxwell during the auctions, it is precisely missing. 

But if Devdutt Padikkal, Kohli, Maxwell and AB de Villiers don’t chip in, the batting order literally stumbles. RCB really need a proper batsman in the lower middle-order to take up the onus if the top and middle-order fumbles. 

Coming to the last encounter when the two sides faced each other, RCB defeated KKR by 38 runs in Chennai. Maxwell and ABD starred with the bat while Kyle Jamieson picked up three wickets during the course. 

Inconsistent KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders have been struggling to find the perfect balance in their line up which can produce results for them consistently. 

Nitish Rana began the proceedings well in the early stages of the competition but has failed to deliver. 

Captain Morgan too played a crucial knock against Punjab but wasn’t able to carry his form in the next encounter against Delhi Capitals. 

Apart from him, hard hitting all-rounder Andre Russell has scored few runs in this competition but again he belongs to the list of the batsmen with inconsistent performances. 

The Knight Riders bowlers are equally responsible for their team’s struggle in the IPL 2021. There have been instances where the bowlers have leaked runs at high pace, not really giving any chance to the batting unit to make a comeback. 

A balanced line up is what is the basic requirement for KKR. Morgan can still carry on with the same batting line up as all of them showed some character at some stage in the tournament but the bowling attack really needs some change. 

Bringing in Kuldeep Yadav might prove fruitful for KKR. A left-arm chinaman is always an asset for any team if the captain uses him well and this is the time when England's ‘World Cup-winning skipper’ can show that he is gutsy enough to take tough calls. 

Adding on, the clash will take place in Ahmedabad which can prove to be a paradise for a left-arm spinner. 

New faces, old traditions - RCB ‘back’ on track

As mentioned above, Royal Challengers Bangalore are genuinely lagging behind one thing and that is the balance in the middle order. The captain might boast about having a perfect one but this is not the case. 

RCB really need a batsman in the middle order who can hold the two ends tight if they are in a spot of bother. Someone like Washington Sundar or Sachin baby or even the new recruit Mohammed Azharuddeen can fill in that void and if it takes to bench an overseas player, the management shouldn’t hesitate in doing so. 

They have done it in the past. 

Another flaw that the RCB side has in their ranks is the dismaying performance from the overseas fast bowlers. None of them have really unfolded any spell that could make headlines. With Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj doing most of the work, it is difficult to put a halt on the run flow of the opponents if the other bowlers continue to leak runs. 

The spin department though for now is sorted. Playing in Ahmedabad, RCB should have Shahbaz in the side while Chahal hasn’t been in form for now but is a valuable player for the kind of capability and experience he has. 

Match Details

Match: KKR vs RCB, 30th Match, Indian Premier League 2021

Date: Monday, May 03, 2021

Time: 7:30 PM

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Pitch and Toss

As the match takes place in Ahmedabad and in the evening, the left-arm spinners will play a crucial role for both sides while the dew can still be a major factor. 

We have witnessed this in the past that how Axar Patel just rattled the England team in Ahmedabad during the Test series. In fact during the match between DC and PBKS on Sunday, the ball was keeping low and not allowing the batsmen to take an upper-hand. Not providing much of a pace can really create some problems for the batsmen. 

So, looking at the track which can have something on offer to the spinners, if you win the toss, elect to field or if you are put into bat, the side should try to put something around 170-180.

Team News

KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders players have shown glimpses of their talent but they need to come together and perform to give their team some positive and fruitful result. While the batting line up can be the same, Morgan should experiment with getting Kuldeep in the XI. 

RCB

RCB are still banking on 3-4 players rather than batsmen. They need somebody in the middle order to keep things tight if they are in a spot of bother. Benching an overseas pacer can be on the cards if the management would like to get an Indian batsman in the XI. 

Probable XI

KKR

Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C), Andre Russell, DK (WK), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav

RCB

Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (C), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel 

Fantasy XI

AB de Villiers, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Eoin Morgan, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell (VC), Glenn Maxwell (C), Daniel Sams, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Pat Cummins