Match 12 Preview: Home team RCB (58%) clearly have an advantage over KKR (42%)

By Amar Dani On April 11, 2013

High on confidence, after extracting revenge against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore are enthusiastically looking to continue their winning streak when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL match today at 16:00 hours at the Chinnaswamy stadium, Banglore.

Ever since that April night in 2008 when the first Indian Premier League match was held here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the rival outfits — Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders — have traversed diverse paths.

After trailing a tie with SRH, RCB was successful in hitting with a bang brilliantly on their home turf to defeat the Sunrisers Hyderabad convincingly, whereas the KKR’s survived to open their account after defeating Delhi Daredevils in the first match of the season but lost their way in chasing Rajasthan Royals thus running short for 19 runs. However, KKR will look for a reversal of when they play their third match against the southern powerhouse.

Virat Kohli leading the RCB’s, has cemented his place in the Indian cricket team and was successful in impressing Hyderabad along with his chum RP Singh. RCB were bolstered by RP Singh's three for 27, after Kohli notched up a blazing unbeaten 93 off 47 balls. He struck 11 boundaries and four sixes in an innings that helped Bangalore register a win with 14 balls to spare.

The Kolkata Knight Riders are a solid outfit. In Gautam Gambhir they have a captain who believes in leading by example. The KKR skipper confirmed that presence of Brendon McCullum in the XI will be a huge fillup to the team’s batting line-up.

On the bowling front, it is going to be a battle of the two spin wizards – Sunil Narine and Muttiah Muralitharan along with the Aussie legend Brett Lee and Young Jaydev Unadkat . Batsmen have found Narine, the Purple Cap holder, to be extremely difficult to get away; in his two matches so far this season he has conceded only 41 runs in the eight overs. The wily Muraitharan has picked up a solitary wicket, but he has only conceded 71 runs in twelve overs.

Tuesday’s victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad has further strengthened Kohli’s credentials as he single-handedly secured the win and also showed RCB that there is a way forward even if Chris Gayle fails. Yet the Caribbean opener will continue to be one of the lead players for the home team and whether AB de Villiers will also don the wicket-keeping gloves, remains a matter of conjecture.