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Mega auction, that once in three years churning of IPL teams, presents a set of challenging posers to each of them. For the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), their opponents in Saturday’s season opener at the Eden Gardens here, the auction has nicely reflected their respective dilemmas.
While three-time champions KKR sought continuity and consolidation, trying to plug holes created by those that had left since their title triumph last year, RCB chose disruption — an overhaul that they hope will finally change their fortunes as they continue the hunt for a title that has proved elusive. Retaining just three players from the previous squad, among them Virat Kohli, RCB’s face since the IPL’s inception, the Bangalore outfit has embraced change, with even the captaincy handed to an inexperienced Rajat Patidar. The 31-year-old batter who, along with left-arm seamer Yash Dayal, were the other players retained, is in for a baptism by fire, considering the threat the Knights pose, particularly in their backyard.
Will Salt add to taste?
Phil Salt, the explosive opener, who made such an impact, will be in the opposition on Saturday, and there will be a few others missing from the triumphant team, but KKR have covered their bases well. In Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sunil Narine, the Knights have the men to provide that blistering launch. They will, of course, have to contend with RCB’s new seam combo of the pacy Josh Hazelwood and the wily Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Also Read: IPL 2025 | “…has batted well against me”: Varun Chakravarthy on this batsman
RCB star batter Virat Kohli in Kolkata on Thursday
Shreyas Iyer, KKR’s winning skipper, has gone and the calm and experienced Ajinkya Rahane will have to not only bring his leadership qualities to the fore, but also be relevant amidst a daunting batting line-up that runs deep. Dayal adds variety with his left-arm stuff, but the bowling will be really tested in the middle overs.
RCB’s firepower at the top
RCB too have the power-hitters and almost the entire firepower is at the top. Kohli and Salt, both very popular in this city, present a daunting prospect as an opening pair with Patidar and the likes of Liam Livingstone to follow. Devdutt Padikkal too is in the mix and will want to come out of a poor patch.
Up against them will be KKR’s incisive attack. While pacer Harshit Rana and spinner Varun Chakravarthy have grown leaps and bounds, the usual threats remain in the form of Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Aurora and Andre Russell. Then, there are some latest additions in the form of Anrich Nortje, Mayank Markande and Moeen Ali among others. However, the intriguing battle before packed terraces may well be interrupted by rain.
34
No of times KKR and RCB have clashed against each other. KKR have won 20 times, while RCB emerged victorious on 14 occasions
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