Bengluru, 17 May: RCB vs KKR: The second phase of IPL 2025 is going to start from Saturday. This will be the 58th match of the league and will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders. In this match, all eyes will be on Virat Kohli, who recently retired from Test cricket.
Both teams are in great form
Before the interruption of the league, both the teams were in great form. While RCB has won all its last four matches, KKR’s team will enter this match with two consecutive wins. In such a situation, it will be interesting to see how these teams maintain their rhythm. If we compare the two teams on paper, then there is no doubt that RCB will have an upper hand over KKR.
Captain Patidar has a finger injury
Captain Rajat Patidar, who was injured against Chennai Super Kings, batted without any trouble in the practice session. Patidar had a finger injury, but he batted brilliantly in the net session. Most of the foreign players of the host team have also returned home after the India-Pakistan military confrontation. Players like Phil Salt, Lungi Ngidi, Tim David, Liam Livingstone and Romario Shepherd are available for the team.
Mayank Agarwal will want to prove himself
The absence of Devdutt Padikkal and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood due to injury, however, can be a big problem. RCB will hope that Mayank Agarwal, who replaces Padikkal, will capitalize on this opportunity. Hazlewood has a shoulder injury and the franchise has not yet given information about his availability.
All eyes will be on Kohli
However, all eyes will be on Kohli in the match. Even in the stadium, the spectators will chant his name the most. The legendary batsman announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this week. If we look at the discussions going on on social media, fans are planning to wear white jerseys to honor this batsman who gives the most importance to the traditional format of the game.
RCB vs KKR: Probable playing-11 of both teams
RCB: Jacob Bethell/Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Swastik Chikara/Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar (captain/subject to fitness), Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal.
KKR: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakraborty.
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