IPL 2020: KKR vs RCB Preview – Playoff candidates seek advantage

Eoin Morgan’s Kolkata Knight Riders and Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on each other at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Match 39 of IPL 2020. Both sides are in the top 4, and are trying to battle it out to reserve their spot in the playoffs. KKR defeated Sunrisers in the super-over, while RCB defeated Rajasthan in the final over, riding on the back of AB’s brilliance in their respective erstwhile encounters.

Kolkata have had a mixed start, but they sit at number 4 on the points table. They have been brilliant in the death overs while defending par scores against CSK, KXIP and SRH. RCB, on the other hand, has been one of the most balanced sides of the tournament. Most players have performed to the best of their abilities. However, star player and Australia captain Aaron Finch is yet to shine with the bat and his form is a worry. He would be looking to set things straight against KKR.

Match Info:

Match 39- KKR vs RCB

Venue- Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Time – 7:30 PM IST

Head To Head:

Stat Attack:

Pat Cummins, primarily a bowler, has hit more boundaries than Andre Russell in this season.

Chris Morris has an economy of 5.25, the best by a bowler in IPL 2020. (More than 4 overs)

Virat Kohli is one six away from completing 200 sixes in the IPL, he will be 5th overall and 3rd Indian batsman to do so.

Team News:

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Sunil Narine’s action has been cleared, which is a huge sigh of relief for Kolkata. Eoin Morgan has adopted the captaincy role extremely well. The way he used Lockie Ferguson was highly appreciable. He also reciprocated with 3/15 in 4 overs and 2/2 in the super-over. Russell’s form has been a concern, and his injury issues keep popping up. They need to win 3 more games to reserve a playoffs berth.

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Captain Kohli has been extremely pleased with the way the players have been performing. All the players have performed well in their specific roles, and coach Katich also talked about the importance of backing the players. Katich said that the players will be backed every match, and there would only be minor changes here and there. They need to win 2 more games to reserve a playoffs berth.

Probable XI: