Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) —  the upcoming 36th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is expected to provide many game-changing moments for fans.

In this preview, we will find out the head-to-head stats of KKR vs RCB and find out which team can unleash their best potential by analyzing their latest performance in the continuing season. Also, it would be interesting to form the list of possible playing XI and impact players based on the pitch conditions and toss outcome.

Mainly, you need to be aware of the Schedule, Venue, and Timings to enjoy the live action of the match.

Additionally, you need to have a clear idea about the weather forecast and the chances of playing a full match without any interruptions. 

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Schedule, Venue and Timings

The exact Schedule, Venue, and Timings for the upcoming match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are shared below for your reference:

Weather forecast for Kolkata vs Bengaluru 34th Match IPL 2024

Based on the latest weather forecast report at Eden Gardens, you can experience a full-fledged T20 game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

Performance Analysis: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Let’s review Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s performance in the ongoing season of IPL 2024:

1. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): 3rd Position ( 8 Points with +1.399 NRR)

The Kolkata Knight Riders have been experiencing one of their best IPL seasons under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, having won 4 out of 6 matches. The strong batting lineup featuring power hitters like Sunil Narine, Philip Salt, Andre Russell and Rinku Singh propelled KKR to post totals above 200+ runs in the majority of matches.

At the same time, the bowling department needs to focus on defending targets that resulted in KKR facing two losses against the Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets and Rajasthan Royals by 2 wickets.

However, in the upcoming match, KKR openers Philip Salt and Sunil Narine can take advantage of the powerplay overs to score huge runs if RCB continues to display weak bowling performance.

2. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): 10th Position ( 2 Points with -1.185 NRR)

The bowling department has been a huge concern for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and find themselves trapped at the bottom position of the IPL 2024 points table.

Shockingly, the RCB bowlers succumbed to the opponent team batters by leaking 1394 runs in 7 matches, which is the highest by any team in this edition. Especially, the RCB bowlers need to grab crucial wickets instantly during the powerplay overs.

In their previous match, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) took advantage of the ineffective bowling performance of RCB and posted a total of 287-3 in 20 overs, which is indeed the highest score in the history of IPL and the 2nd highest in T20. Despite the RCB batters reaching their second-highest total in IPL by scoring 262-7 in 20 overs, they lost to SRH by 25 runs.

On the other side, Virat Kohli (361 runs in 7 matches) and Dinesh Karthik (226 runs in 7 matches) have been the heart and soul of the RCB batting lineup this season so far. Faf du Plessis, the RCB skipper and opening batter, has finally found some form against SRH by scoring 62 runs from 28 balls( including 7 fours and 4 sixes).

Although Virat Kohli is currently the orange cap holder, the RCB team are over-dependant on him and other batters like Cameron Green, Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar need to open up with the bat.

KKR vs RCB Head-To-Head Stats in IPL

Both KKR and RCB have locked horns against each other in 33 matches of IPL so far and these are the interesting head-to-head stats you need to know:

From the above stats, you might have understood that RCB won a majority of its matches against KKR while chasing targets.

Possible Playing XI and Expected Impact Players List: KKR vs RCB

Let us find out the possible playing XI and the expected impact players for both KKR and RCB:

Probable Playing XI for KKR :

1. Philip Salt (wicketkeeper)
2. Sunil Narine
3. Angkrish Raghuvanshi
4. Shreyas Iyer (captain)
5. Venkatesh Iyer
6. Rinku Singh
7. Andre Russell
8. Ramandeep Singh
9. Mitchell Starc
10. Varun Chakaravarthy
11. Harshit Rana

Possible Impact Players Substitutes List for KKR:

1. Suyash Sharma
2. Anukul Roy
3. Manish Pandey
4. Rahmanullah Gurbaz
5. Vaibhav Arora

Probable Playing XI for RCB:

1. Faf du Plessis (Captain)
2. Virat Kohli
3. Will Jacks
4. Rajat Patidar
5. Saurav Chauhan
6. Dinesh Karthik (Wicketkeeper)
7. Mahipal Lomror
8. Lockie Ferguson
9. Reece Topley
10. Vijaykumar Vyshak
11. Yash Dayal

Possible Impact Players Substitutes List for RCB:

1. Anuj Rawat
2. Suyash Prabhudessai
3. Swapnil Singh
4. Mohammed Siraj
5. Karn Sharma

Toss Outcome and Pitch Conditions: Kolkata vs Bengaluru

In recent times, the chasing teams were triumphant on the batting-friendly pitch conditions at Eden Gardens and probably any team skipper would decide to bowl first after winning the toss. You can expect a high-scoring and thrilling contest with a total scoring range above 180 to 200 runs.

Out of the 3 games in IPL 2024 at this venue, SRH nearly chased the target of 209 runs and lost to KKR by just 4 runs. Whereas, KKR won against LSG by 8 wickets and successfully chased the target of 162-2 in 15.4 overs. However, in their previous match, RR clinched victory by just 2 wickets and chased the huge target of 224 runs in the last ball of the match.

Winner Prediction for KKR vs RCB 36th Match IPL 2024: Conclusion

RCB will be trying hard to get themselves back onto the winning track after experiencing a shaky period of 5 consecutive losses. Even if RCB manages to win the remaining 7 matches of the ongoing season, they still hold a slim chance of qualifying for playoffs by hoping other top teams lose a few games. A loss for RCB would end their playoff hopes.

Most importantly, RCB hasn’t won a single match of IPL 2024 batting first. It becomes evident that the best chance for RCB to emerge victorious is to bat second in the forthcoming match.

On the other hand, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will aim to bounce back after facing a 2-wicket loss against the RR in the high-scoring encounter and aim to return to the 2nd position in the points table.

Finally, this Sunday you will enjoy another high-octane action thriller of the IPL 2024 tournament as the teams with the strongest batting performance will certainly triumph in the high-scoring thriller battle.