In-form Bangalore will take on Kolkata in the first doubleheader clash of the Indian T20 League 2021. Bangalore are unbeaten after playing two matches, while Kolkata are coming off an unwanted defeat against Mumbai.
Match Timings: April 18, 3:30 PM IST
Team Preview
Bangalore and Kolkata will lock horns in the first game of Sunday in the Indian T20 League 2021. It should be a cracking contest in Chennai and no doubt, both sides have the capability to counter the opposition.
Bangalore made a positive start to the season by winning the first two games convincingly against Mumbai and Hyderabad. They can never have a start like this on a challenging track like Chepauk. Bangalore pulled off a great comeback with quality death-bowling. Glenn Maxwell justified his price tag by scoring a match-winning half-century. Virat Kohli got a good start but he is not converting into big.
Shahbaz came out as a surprise package with the bowl and Bangalore would be happy with this combination. Kohli can even add Adam Zampa in place of Daniel Christian. It will surely boost their spin combination. Bangalore ticks all the positive points ahead of the clash. Middle-order was a concern but they now have ABD and Maxwell. They have managed to take charge in death-bowling and Harshal Patel solved this issue who has 7 wickets from two matches. Siraj is effective with the new ball and Jamieson is controlling runs.
Meanwhile, Kolkata are wounded and heartbroken after an unexpected defeat from the winning situation. The Purple outfit made a good start by winning the first game with ease and almost crossed the line in the second game. Middle-order got the first chance to take accountability but pressure exposed them.
Russell’s form with the bat is a big concern if Kolkata looks for the playoffs this time. Bowling has been impressive and they just have to solve their middle-order issues. Nitish Rana got back-to-back half-centuries and Gill looked better in the opening slot. Morgan and Karthik have to take the charge in middle-order. Kolkata will look to bounce back as they cannot afford consecutive defeats.
Pitch Report
Chennai’s surface is now ideally a spin track. Out of four games, chasing sides lost three and later the match progresses, the surface offers extra advantage to bowling. We may expect a score of 150-160 which will be a competitive total.
Possible XI
Kolkata
Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
Bangalore
Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Washington Sundar, Daniel Christian, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Key Players
Bangalore
Virat Kohli
Had a good start in both games and might get big this time
Glenn Maxwell
Excellent form in middle-order, got fifty in last game
Kolkata
Nitish Rana
Back-to-back half-centuries and great average as an opener
Shubman Gill
A handy player to bat on a challenging surface like Chennai
