IPL 2019 Day 14: RCB vs KKR Preview

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Image Courtesy: Newsd

Royal Challengers Bangalore look in a sorry state after losing all of their 4 games played so far. They will now need to display a performance beyond their levels if they are to keep the swashbuckling Andre Russell within their control.

Image Courtesy: Newsd

It is high time that RCB led by Virat Kohli sort out their issues and post their first win of the season. Their side’s performance so far this term has been nothing short of awful and they have also become the centre of attraction for all memes.

The side has failed to perform as a single unit and has so far seen just single batsmen fire in each game. Shimron Hetmyer, who was brought by RCB this year has so far not justified his price tag. In his 4 outings so far his highest score is just 9.

In the bowling department, all the work so far has been solely done by Chahal. None of the other bowlers have stepped up their performance to support the leg spinner. The side’s decision to use Colin de Grandhomme for the initial games backfired as the New Zealander proved to be less threatening.

Changes are expected in bulk as Kohli looks to bring in fresh legs in a last bid to stage a revival. Southee has been the part of the squad since day 1 but hasn’t been used so far. With his additional ability to score some quick runs, he could come in replacing Hetmyer.

The fans have been adamant that Washington Sundar gets an outing. The youngster from Tamil Nadu has proven to be very useful with both the bat and ball in the limited chances he’s received. Sundar being slotted in place of either Saini or Siraj is also a possibility.

Expected XI: Parthiv Patel (wk), Washington Sundar/Moeen Ali, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer/Tim Southee, Marcus Stoinis, Akshdeep Nath, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Kolkata on the other hand look in great shape despite losing their previous game via super over. Rabada showcaed his class as KKR failed to chase the target posted by DC in the super over.

Andre Russell has so far been the player of the tournament for them, scoring 159 runs and picking up 5 wickets. All of KKR’s hopes will be pinned on him yet again to take their side to the finish line. Narine, who missed the previous game due to injury is in contention to start after returning to full fitness.

The likes of Rana, Uthappa, Karthik and Kuldeep have chipped in with crucial contributions so far in addition to Russell’s show. Their only concern would be the form of the under firing Australian opener Chris Lynn, who is yet to come to the party. The smallish M Chinnaswamy stadium and a batting paradise that it sports wouldn’t be a bad setup for him to return back to form.

Expected XI: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk, c), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna.

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