Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore will be up against Eoin Morgan’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 Eliminator at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
On paper, both teams look strong and are coming into the crucial match having won their previous games. While RCB clinched a last-ball thriller against Delhi Capitals, KKR secured a big win over Rajasthan Royals.
RCB qualified for the playoffs and finished third on the league table with 18 points from nine victories. KKR didn’t have the best of starts to the tournament back in India but turned their fortunes around in the second half in the UAE. They won seven matches out of 14 and finished above defending champions Mumbai Indians thanks to a better net run rate.
Kolkata’s biggest positive is their bowlers. The likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine have been impressed with their spells while Lockie Ferguson has also been in good form. Shivam Mavi also picked up four wickets in KKR’s previous match and considering they are playing in Sharjah again, expect Morgan to name an unchanged side. With Shakib Al Hasan’s inclusion in XI, KKR looked like a balanced team.
Virat Kohli’s faith in KS Bharat reaped rich dividends as the wicketkeeper-batsman played a blinder to clinch victory against Delhi Capitals. He remained unbeaten on 78, hitting a six off the last ball to take his team over the line.
Glenn Maxwell is another consistent performer with the bat while the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel will be the key names in the bowling department.
Here’s all you need to know about IPL 2021 Eliminator between RCB and KKR:
When will Eliminator of IPL 2021 between RCB and KKR take place?
The match between RCB and KKR will take place on 11 October 2021.
Where will the RCB vs KKR match take place?
The match will take place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
What time will the RCB vs KKR match start?
The RCB vs KKR match will begin at 7.30 pm IST. The toss will take place at 7 pm IST.
Which TV channels will broadcast the RCB vs KKR match?
The match will be telecast on the Star Sports Network. The live streaming of the match will also be available on Disney+ Hotstar. Besides, you can browse Firstpost.com for live updates and over-by-over commentary.
Squad
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (C), Navdeep Saini, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Rajat Patidar, Dushmantha Chameera, Pavan Deshpande, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Baby, Wanindu Hasaranga, George Garton, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Devdutt Padikkal, Kyle Jamieson, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Akash Deep, AB de Villiers.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert.