It almost halfway through in the tournament and both Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are looking great and are at 2nd and 4th position on the points table. Even though both are on level in terms of points, they are separated by run rate. KKR and RCB would be raring to go as they have been out of action for few days as their last match with respective opponents was washed away because of rain. The teams would go in with a mindset to cut down the points difference at the top of the table and also to strengthen their hold on the second position for now.
Both the teams have proven match winners in their side and lot would depend on the way these guys perform as the result very much is expected to revolve around their performance.
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Gautam Gambhir: The KKR captain has been in good touch and is taking the attack on to the opposition early on in the innings. Gambhir has the ability to tackle spin very well and he can very well increase the rate of scoring with ease at any point of the game.
Yusuf Pathan: Yusuf Pathan, one of the biggest hitters of the modern day cricket, has not been able to fire this season. He is going through a slump in his form and even though he is not able to perform till now, he still would be feared. He can launch an onslaught any moment and change the course of the game in a span of few overs.
Brett Lee: Lee is very much capable of picking early wickets and the KKR team will be banking on him to get some early inroads into this strong RCB batting line up. It would be exciting to see how he bowls to Gayle first up.
Iqbal Abdulla: Abdulla showed some real class and a lot will be expected from him. He can put a stranglehold on the run-scoring as he bowls with immense control. He also has the ability to break the partnerships and is a vital cog in the KKR bowling unit.
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Chris Gayle: This man needs no introduction. Even though he missed out on the last match against Rajasthan Royals, he still is RCB’s highest run getter this season and also has hit the highest number of sixes. He is playing a little differently this year. He is taking some time to settle and once he sets his eye, he launches his onslaught. This new approach has made even more dangerous and RCB would want him to perform big if they want to avenge their loss.
Virat Kohli: Kohli came into the tournament with huge expectations, but till now he has not been able to live up to them. Kohli is a big player in the RCB team and they will want this talented batsman to find his feet soon.
Zaheer Khan: Zaheer Khan has not performed the way everyone expected him to. It’s not that he is going for too many runs, but going by what he has achieved in the past, he is not doing justice to his talent. He certainly will have to lift up his performance for the team’s cause and everyone knows it is a just a matter of match and he can change the tides.
KP Appanna: He turned out to be an unexpected hero in their last game against Rajasthan Royals. He ran through batting line up picking up four wickets. He would definitely looking forward to repeat his feat and RCB would be wary of that.
