Royal Challengers Bangalore Predicted XI vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2023: Who Will Replace Reece Topley?

06.04.2023 - 10:37 sports.ndtv.com

All is well in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) camp after the Faf du Plessis-led side thrashed Mumbai Indians by eight wickets in their opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season.

Virat Kohli and Faf dazzled with the bat as RCB made a mockey out of MI's 171-run total. While Kohli hit an unbeaten 83 to take his team across the finishing line, du Plessis quickfire 73 set the tone for a convincing chase.

However, whatever happens at the Chinnaswamy, stays at the Chinnaswamy as RCB's focus now shifts towards the Eden Gardens as they face a depleted Kolkata Knight Riders side on Thursday. Here's what we think could be RCB playing XI against KKR: Kohli and du Plessis will open the proceedings with the bat once again.

The dynamic duo's form will be crucial throughout the tournament for RCB. There were doubts regarding Glenn Maxwell's participation in the previous match.

cricket Glenn Maxwell Virat Kohli Reece Topley David Willey Michael Bracewell Faf Du Plessis Britain India Kolkata Bangalore

Eyeing three wins on the bounce, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. RCB, who were beaten by KKR earlier during the reverse fixture, eye revenge against the Nitish Rana-led side. A win would take RCB upto third in the points table, ahead of Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, who are third and fourth, respectively, in the points table. For RCB, Josh Hazlewood was seen pracitising in the nets and is available for selection.

Struggling Kolkata Knight Riders Seek Change Of Fortunes Against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Kolkata Knight Riders will be desperate to bring their flagging campaign back on track while Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to shrug off the overdependence on its top three batters when the two teams clash in the IPL in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The two-time champions have looked clueless in their last four outings, losing at home while also on the road. The Nitish Rana-led side is currently at seventh spot with just two wins from seven games. The losses can largely be pegged down to the shoddy performance by KKR batters. They are missing their regular skipper Shreyas Iyer and star all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Defeat Rajasthan Royals By 7 Runs In Thrilling Finish

A late charge led by a cameo from Dhruv Jurel was not enough for Rajasthan Royals as a century stand between captain Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell set up a thrilling seven-run win for Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match in Bengaluru on Sunday. Invited to bat, Maxwell (77 off 44 balls) and du Plessis (62 off 39 balls) shared 127 runs for the third wicket from only 66 deliveries to power RCB to 189 for 9 in 20 overs. Devdutt Padikkal (52 off 34 balls) struck his maiden fifty of the season and Yashasvi Jaiswal made 47 for a 98-run partnership for the second wicket but the Royals were lagging behind in the run chase before gaining momentum in the last five overs.

RCB Predicted XI Against RR In IPL 2023: Will Virat Kohli Captain Again?

Virat Kohli returned as Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper for the match against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last time around, with full-time skipper Faf du Plessis deciding to become an 'Impact Player' due to a small injury problem. As the Bengaluru franchise takes on Rajasthan Royals in the first match of the double-header on Sunday, it would be interesting to see if a similar approach is opted for by RCB. Du Plessis and Kohli did the bulk of the scoring with the bat against PBKS but the franchise needs other batters to step up to, especially aginst an in-form side like the Royals.

Faf Du Plessis, Mohammed Siraj Script 24-run Win For Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Punjab Kings

Faf du Plessis played a special knock despite a rib injury before Mohammed Siraj produced his best figures in the IPL to set up a 24-run win for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Punjab Kings on Thursday. Playing as an 'Impact Player' due to his injury, Du Plessis plundered 84 off 56 balls and shared a 137-run opening wicket stand with stand-in captain Virat Kohli (59 off 47) to steer RCB to 174 for four after being put in to bat.

Shikhar Dhawan's Injury On Punjab Kings' Mind As They Take On Royal Challengers Bangalore

Punjab Kings (PBKS) would be sweating over skipper Shikhar Dhawan's injury at a time when they need all their firepower against an extremely tough but luckless Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Thursday. Dhawan, 37, who is one of the bright spots in the PBKS team, was ruled out against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 15 in Lucknow due to a shoulder injury and England all-rounder Sam Curran marshalled the side during their two-wicket win at the Ekana Stadium.