🏏K K Riders vs. R C Bengaluru, 36th Match, Eden Gardens, Kolkata🏏 - Page 3

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Tag credit:Sutapasima

We're into the second half of the tournament and the Royal Challengers will hope for better returns as they take the field after a six-day gap. They're on a 5-match losing streak and the hopes of making it to the playoffs have all but faded away. Faf du Plessis's team hasn't found the right formula as yet and they're smarting from the loss against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the bowlers took a pounding as they were smashed all across the Chinnaswamy, in a 287-run debacle. If there was any positive from that match, RCB responded well with the bat and finished with 262, the highest score by a chasing team in the IPL. Far too often, RCB's batters have fallen into the trap of setting themselves lower par scores and finding it well short of the requirement. They've now reached a position where they've nothing much to lose and plenty to gain. Can the RCB of old stage a comeback and keep themselves in with a chance of proceeding to the playoffs? On the other hand, today's game couldn't have come at an opportune time for the Knight Riders. They too have been well rested after having been beaten by the Rajasthan Royals. Yesterday's result has seen them slip out temporarily from the top-2 position, but they've things under control and will be keen to return back to winning ways. On that note, they couldn't have found a better opponent in the Royal Challengers, a team that they've constantly dominated over the past few seasons.

Here is an early pitch report: It is 43 degrees in Kolkata and pitch no. 2 will be used. The square boundaries are 61m and 66m and the straight hit is 73m. Graeme Swann looks at the strip and says it is very very dry and flat. Swann looks at one spot of the surface from the pavilion end and says that if spinners can land on the length, they could get something. But otherwise, the pitch looks flat, runs galore. Swann says win the toss and bat first due to the heat.

This is an afternoon game and that changes the dynamics completely. One short boundary at 61m, the other side is at 66m, the straight boundary is 73m long. It's very hot at 43 degrees and the pitch will suffer because of that, it's very dry. Most of the pitch looks even and flat, but there's one big chunk where it's extremely dry, the grass has been removed. It's around the spinner's length and they could exploit the patches. Otherwise, this pitch has plenty of runs on offer. With this heat, the captain winning the toss should opt to bat first, reckons Graeme Swann and Sanjay Manjrekar, in their pitch report

Each Match is rewriting a few stories now, the points table is changing every day.

Yesterday's result has seen them slip out temporarily from the top-2 position, but they've things under control and will be keen to return back to winning ways. On that note, they couldn't have found a better opponent in the Royal Challengers, a team that they've constantly dominated over the past few seasons.

Thanku❤️

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Meanwhile, here's what Andre Russell had to say ahead of the game: "[Narine's knock] Something special for us as well. He's been hitting the ball well in practice as well. Happy he crossed the line. I was playing the support role at the time. Against Chahal's legspin, I was trying to give him the strike. When you are happy for someone you've played with for over five years, you are at the height of your emotions. Once we are winning, [my contribution] does not matter that much. Fielding in the hotspots where catches and stuff will be coming. With the ball, I look forward to bowl to most guys. They say we enjoy your batting, but I ask them, what about my bowling? I always like to be involved, whether we are in a good position or not. [Heat] It's about managing warm-ups. Not to warm up a lot and use your energies. I bowl six to eight deliveries to get the feel and knock a few balls and am happy."

BM

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Thankyou for the tag, Madhuri

RCB won the toss and will bowl first.