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Skipper Rajat Patidar, who had suffered a finger injury against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), was seen batting fluently in the nets — a reassuring sign for the think tank. One concern remains: the absence of Devdutt Padikkal due to injury. Mayank Agarwal, who has been slotted in as his replacement, will have a big role to play at the top. Meanwhile, the status of Josh Hazlewood remains uncertain owing to a shoulder issue. But even without a full-strength XI, RCB’s core group is showing signs of cohesion and confidence.
And with Kohli potentially inspired by his Test farewell, KKR could be in for a long evening. For the defending champions, the equation is simple — win or risk elimination. KKR currently sit sixth on the points table with 11 points from 12 matches. A loss on Saturday could effectively end their hopes of a playoff berth. Their form before the break was patchy — two wins in three games — and concerns remain around whether they can rediscover the intensity needed for this crunch clash. Batting has been their Achilles’ heel this season. While Ajinkya Rahane and youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi have shown some fight, others like Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, and Andre Russell have struggled for consistency.
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Compounding their woes is the absence of Moeen Ali, ruled out due to viral fever, leaving a gap in both the middle order and the spin department. Their bowling, though, has offered some hope. The likes of Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, and Harshit Rana have kept the side competitive, even if runs have occasionally leaked. However, whether this bowling group can tame an RCB batting line-up that boasts Kohli, Salt, Livingstone, and David remains to be seen.
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Mayank Agarwal, Jitesh Sharma (wk), 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. –IANS hs/bsk/
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