Abhishek Tripathi, Pune. After starting with a win in the first match, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to consolidate their position in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. Shreyas Iyer-led KKR beat defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets in their opening match, while RCB suffered a five-wicket loss to Punjab Kings despite scoring over 200 runs.

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RCB captain Faf du Plessis is in excellent form. He scored 88 runs in 57 balls in the first match and he will try to maintain his form. Opener Anuj Rawat could not take advantage of a good start and would like to bring consistency in his performance. After being relieved of the pressure of captaincy, Virat Kohli has indicated a return to form and he will look to play a big innings against Kolkata. If RCB want to register a win, then wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik will also have to play a bang like the previous match.

Bowling unit of KKR has to be particularly careful with Jahan du Plessis’s six-hitting skills

While KKR’s bowling unit will have to be particularly wary of Du Plessis’s six-hitting skills. RCB’s bowlers will also have to forget the thrashing they faced against Punjab. Muhammad Siraj had conceded 59 runs in the last match. They have to improve their game soon. Another bowler, Harshal Patel, who is a specialist in the death overs, will also play an important role. Even Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga’s role in the middle overs will be crucial.

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KKR did well in all departments in the first match and they would like to repeat the same. The biggest positive for KKR was Ajinkya Rahane’s return to form. Although all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer could manage only 16 runs in the first match, he can destroy any attack. In the middle order, captain Shreyas Iyer, Sam Billings and Sheldon Jackson will have to take responsibility. In the bowling department, Umesh Yadav played brilliantly in the last match. But others including Shivam Mavi, spinners Varun Chakraborty and Sunil Narine will need to do better. All-rounder Andre Russell’s role with bat and ball can make the difference between the two teams.

Teams :

RCB: Faf du Plessis (Captain), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Muhammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Anishwar Gautam, Karan Sharma, David Willey, Lavneet Sisodia, Siddharth Kaul.