RCB vs KKR Preview – Match Preview And All You Need To Know About Their Rivalry In IPL
RCB vs KKR Preview : RCB and KKR have been part of the IPL since its inception in 2008. KKR has managed to win the coveted IPL trophy on two occasions but RCB failed to win the trophy even once until now. Coming to the team compositions, RCB, as usual, will be banking on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, the two most accomplished batsmen in their ranks to deliver goods. KKR on other hands will be hoping that swashbuckling West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell would continue to destroy the opposition attacks. Dinesh Karthik and Sunil Narine are the other vital impact players from KKR squad this year.
On the bowling front, RCB’s death bowling woes are expected to continue this season as well, as they did not add any potent death bowler to their squad at the auctions. Umesh Yadav and Chahal are expected to spearhead their bowling attack. KKR on other hand has a decent bowling attack comprising likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla etc.
Interesting Facts About RCB vs KKR Rivalry Over The Years
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- Incidentally, RCB vs KKR clashed against each other in the inaugural match of IPL and it kicks started the long and successful journey of the IPL. That match set the perfect platform for the IPL and attracted more viewers towards the product. Former Kiwis skipper, Brendon McCullum scored a scintillating century in the first innings of the match playing for KKR. KKR won the match comfortably by 140 runs.
- Head to head record: Matches – 23, KKR won 14 of them and RCB won 9 matches over the years.
- Situation once escalated a bit too far in 2013 during a clash between RCB and KKR, when current Indian skipper Virat Kohli charged aggressively towards then KKR captain Gambhir after the latter supposedly gave him a cheeky send-off. Words were exchanged and things got under control after fellow player Rajat Bhatia intervened and pacified the situation. The duo reconciled their differences during the later editions of IPL.
- Players who played for both the franchises are Brendon McCullum, Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Chris Gayle, Mitchell Starc, Manish Pandey, Umesh Yadav, Dinesh Karthik, and Chris Woakes.
- Known for their explosive batting line-up and their habit of posting humongous totals, RCB has scored over 200 runs in an innings on multiple occasions. It is to be noted that RCB’s highest score against KKR is 186-1. On the other hand, KKR’s highest score against RCB is 222-3 which they scored in the inaugural match of Indian Premier League.
- RCB’s lowest IPL total 49 all-out came against KKR at the Eden gardens in IPL 2017.
- KKR is the only team to bowl out RCB team twice under team total of 100. They bundled out RCB for 82 runs in IPL 2008 and 49 as mentioned in the above point.
- Brendon McCullum’s 158* is the highest individual score by any batsmen during the clashes between the two teams.
- Former KKR bowler, L Balaji has the best bowling figures 4-18 in the clashes between the two teams till now.
- Brendon McCullum and Gayle have scored a century each while playing for both KKR and RCB teams.
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