Match number 36 of IPL 2023 will see the Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team still in search of their first IPL title, hosting the Kolkata Knight Riders, who last won the title in 2014.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore, coming off two consecutive wins, will face the struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru today. The Bangalore team has had a mixed performance so far in the IPL 2023, with wins and losses alternating. On the other hand, the Kolkata Knight Riders have been on a losing streak, losing their last four games in a row.
The match will take place at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, and is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST with the toss at 7 PM IST.
In their previous encounter in IPL 2022, the Royal Challengers Bangalore emerged victorious by 3 wickets. However, in their first clash of IPL 2023, the Kolkata Knight Riders defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 81 runs.
In their overall head-to-head record, the Kolkata Knight Riders have the upper hand with 17 wins out of 31 matches, while the Royal Challengers Bangalore have won 14 matches.
In the previous season of IPL, the Royal Challengers Bangalore finished fourth after the league stage, while the Kolkata Knight Riders finished seventh.
In IPL 2022, the Royal Challengers Bangalore won 8 out of 14 matches, earning 16 points, while the Kolkata Knight Riders won 6 matches and lost 8, earning 12 points.
Faf du Plessis is the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, while Nitish Rana leads the Kolkata Knight Riders.
The likely playing XIs for the match are as follows:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (C), Faf du Plessis, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, David Willey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj.
Kolkata Knight Riders: N Jagadeesan (WK), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (C), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.
The weather forecast for Bengaluru on April 26 predicts a maximum temperature of 33 degrees celsius and a minimum temperature of 22 degrees celsius. The evening is expected to be partly cloudy with a wind speed of 11 kmph. There is a 10% chance of rain.
The match will be broadcasted on the Star Sports Network and can be live-streamed on Jio Cinema. Ball-by-ball commentary, match analysis, latest scores, records, and more can be found on the Times of India website.
New rules in IPL 2023 allow both captains to have a list of up to 5 substitutes, with one of them being designated as the Impact Player who can bat and bowl.
New Rules:
After the toss, the teams will have the opportunity to name their playing XI that they have pre-determined. Both captains will have the option to select a team based on the outcome of the toss. This means that teams can have two slightly different XIs prepared, depending on their strategy. The team sheets will then be exchanged following the toss.
