IPL 2020: Match 39: Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Match Prediction

The 39th match of the Dream11 IPL will see Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in what is a crucial encounter for the latter at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

A lot has changed since these two sides last squared off against each other, where RCB massacred KKR by 82 runs. That game proved to be Dinesh Karthik’s last match as skipper of the Kolkata-based franchise.

Karthik made way for Eoin Morgan on the eve of Kolkata Knight Rider’s fixture against Mumbai Indians. And, while they still lost that game comprehensively, they came back well against the SunRisers Hyderabad thanks largely to a brilliant bowling performance by Lockie Ferguson, who claimed three wickets in the main game before taking two in the Super-Over.

That said, KKR still have a lot of issues to ponder on. Firstly, their top-order. The likes of Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi have struggled to give starts while Nitish Rana’s form has been woeful throughout the tournament.

Andre Russell’s hamstring injury means that the all-rounder might not be available for the fixture, which leaves Kolkata Knight Riders with a conundrum for the 4th overseas spot. Do they bring Sunil Narine back in the mix considering that his action has now been cleared or do they bring in attacking opener, Tom Banton, to bolster their batting?

 

Can Royal Challengers Bangalore make it two out of two against Kolkata Knight Riders?

Royal Challengers Bangalore, on the other hand, are coming off a brilliant win over Rajasthan Royals in the last game thanks to brilliant bowling by the duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Chris Morris and a whirlwind 22-ball 53* by AB de Villiers.

The RCB thinktank would, however, be worried about the form of Aaron Finch. The Australian white-ball captain has underwhelmed throughout the season and his struggles have proceeded to put a lot of pressure on the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

Will Finch finally turn up against KKR? The thinktank will be hoping that it indeed is the case on Wednesday. Apart from Finch, the middle-order has still not been tested enough with either Virat or AB performing thus far. It will be interesting to see how the likes of Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Washington Sundar perform when faced with a crunch situation in the absence of Virat and AB.

Also Read- IPL 2020 Match 39: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: RCB Predicted XI

IPL 2020: Match 39: Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Match Prediction

The last time KKR played against RCB, they were hammered by 82 runs. But, we should bear in mind that the Kolkata Knight Riders are due for a complete performance. Even when they have won, they have been scrappy. Expecting the Eoin Morgan-led unit to stage redemption against the Challengers on Wednesday.