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IPL 2023: Kolkata Knight Riders will hope to cash in on home advantage against RCB

The host will be looking to draw inspiration from two previous performances at the Eden Gardens

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Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis during a training session. — RCB Twitter

by Leslie Wilson Jr

Published: Wed 5 Apr 2023, 10:00 PM

Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking for some home comfort when it faces an in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore in Match 9 of the IPL at the historic Eden Gardens.

The host will be looking to draw inspiration from two previous performances at the popular venue when, in 2017, it defeated Bangalore twice, one of which was a dominant 82-run victory after dismissing RCB for a paltry 49 runs, the lowest at Eden Gardens.

Considering these statistics, here are five factors to weigh up ahead of Thursday’s game.

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RCB’s feisty openers

The spectacular display of power-hitting that RCB openers Faf Du Plessis and Virat Kohli strung together to demolish heavyweights Mumbai Indians last Sunday will have given KKR’s think-tank a lot to digest.

The Boks–Desi pairing smashed 22 boundaries between them, including 11 majestic sixes, to make batting look so easy on a wicket notorious for aiding the fearless.

RCB will be looking for more from this lethal pair, while KKR's hopes to come up with a game plan to neutralise their fearlessness.

Winning mindset

But for a compelling rescue act by Tilak Verma, RCB’s bowlers had the majority of the Mumbai batsmen on the back foot (no pun intended).

A team that has more often than not fallen short of expectations due to a lack of self-belief, this RCB side displayed a winning mindset right from the start and set out to do what they needed to do. It would appear that they believe that they can achieve anything they want to be provided they display discipline and determination.

Can Roy make a difference?

KKR have broken the bank to sign dashing England opener Jason Roy for Rs 2.8 crore (Dh 1.26m) as a replacement for injured star batsman Shreyas Iyer.

Roy is no stranger to the IPL having played in three editions and most recently for Sunrisers Hyderabad, for whom he scored d 150 runs, including a half-century.

The 32-year-old South African-born and England-raised Roy, who is best remembered for England’s highest ODI score of 180, is no slouch in the T20 format where he has raked up over 1,500 runs.

He looks like a good acquisition who can spark a KKR revival.

Batsman’s paradise

Historically, the pitch at the Eden Gardens Stadium has favoured bold stroke play and as a result has produced some high-scoring games, even by T20 standards.

Since the boundaries at this venue were reduced in 2011, it looks like a perfect stage for top-order batsmen to flex their arms against the quicks who are unlikely to find any support from the batsman-friendly centre-strip.

A good toss to win

KKR, who has the drop in head-to-head stats on RCB having won 16 of 30 IPL matches, will want to bat first on Thursday. This is because two of its most powerful victories at the venue came when it made first use of the wicket and posted 200-plus totals of 232 for two against Mumbai and 218 for four against Punjab.

A high target will also help put extra pressure on RCB’s opening pair of Du Plessis and Kohli.

This is one toss that will have major gains.

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Leslie Wilson Jr

Published: Wed 5 Apr 2023, 10:00 PM

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