Bengaluru, May 16 – After a ten-day suspension due to military tensions between India and Pakistan, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to resume on Saturday with a high-stakes clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). All eyes will be on Virat Kohli, who recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, as fans eagerly await his return to the field.
As per agency report, RCB currently sits in second place on the points table with 16 points from 11 matches. A win against KKR would all but secure their spot in the playoffs. In contrast, KKR is in a do-or-die situation, placed sixth with 11 points from 12 matches. Any further loss could eliminate them from contention for the knockout stage.
Before the league was halted, both teams were enjoying good form. RCB entered the break on the back of four consecutive wins, while KKR had registered two successive victories. Maintaining momentum after the unexpected hiatus will be crucial for both sides.
On paper, RCB appears to have the upper hand. Captain Rajat Patidar, who was injured during a match against Chennai Super Kings, has returned to the nets and batted comfortably despite a finger injury. RCB will, however, miss the services of Devdutt Padikkal and pacer Josh Hazlewood due to injuries. Mayank Agarwal is expected to fill in for Padikkal, while the franchise has yet to confirm Hazlewood’s availability.
RCB has received a boost with the return of key overseas players including Phil Salt, Lungi Ngidi, Tim David, Liam Livingstone, and Romario Shepherd, who had returned to their home countries amid the geopolitical tensions.
Kohli, who has been in excellent form this season, will be the focal point of Saturday’s match. His sudden retirement from Test cricket earlier this week caught many by surprise. On social media, fans are reportedly planning to pay tribute to Kohli by wearing white jerseys to the stadium, honoring his contribution to the traditional format of the game. The iconic batter will be eager to deliver a commanding performance in his first appearance since the announcement.
For KKR, batting inconsistency has been a concern. Outside of captain Ajinkya Rahane and youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi, most of the batting lineup has struggled with form. With the remaining league matches now essentially knockouts for KKR, the team will be hoping for impactful contributions from Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, and Rinku Singh.
The team will miss the presence of England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a viral illness. Despite an at-times expensive bowling attack, the likes of Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, and Harshit Rana have managed to deliver under pressure and will be key to KKR’s defense.
The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM IST.
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Liam Livingstone, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Luvnith Sisodia, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson.
