The Royal Challengers pulled off something incredible against the Gujarat Lions in their previous match in the VIVO IPL. Centuries from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers ensured that the Challengers cruised to a comfortable victory against the Lions, beating them by 144 runs. Apart from winning their 3 remaining matches, the Challengers will also need the results of other matches to go in their favor to reach the playoffs.
In a rain-affected match, the Kolkata Knight Riders showed their class against the Rising Pune Supergiants, demolishing by 8 wickets. Gautham Gambhir and co are well on their way to reach the playoffs with 3 games still in hand, giving them enough time to rest their key players.
The Match 48 of VIVO IPL 2016 will take place between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Match Date and Time: 16 May 2016, 8 pm (IST)Match Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Weather:
Temperature: Max 31°C, Min 30°C
Humidity: Max 76%
Wind: 15 km per hour
Pitch Report: Par-score 170. This pitch will favor the spinners.
In-Depth Analysis:
The Royal Challengers Bangalore scored the highest total for this season (248-3), credit to the magnificent partnership of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers as they swatted every bowler against the Gujarat Lions in their previous match. The other batsmen in the Challengers unit have been overshadowed by Kohli and de Villiers. The poor form of Chris Gayle will be an issue and the Challengers will consider placing K L Rahul back to the opening slot alongside Kohli as he done a reasonably good job at that position.
All-rounder Shane Watson has maintained the balance for the Challengers in the batting and the bowling department, proving his worth for the side with his useful services. Watson has gathered a total of 152 runs in 11 innings and also picking up 14 wickets with the ball in this season.
Sachin Baby has been a great find for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and also potentially for the Indian Cricket team. Sachin Baby has shown that he can clear the boundary with ease and he is suitable for the role of a pinch-hitter. The Royal Challengers might be tempted to promote him to the open the batting and get a few quick runs for the side.
The Royal Challengers will be elated to witness the way their bowlers rattled the batsmen of the Gujarat Lions and bundled them out for a meager score of 104 on a good batting wicket. The England seamer Chris Jordan picked up 4 wickets and conceded just 11 runs in the 3 overs that he bowled against the Lions.
The Kolkata Knight Riders dominated against the Rising Pune Supergiants in all the departments. The Knight Riders bowled exceptionally well and restricted the Supergiants to 103 in 17 overs. The revised target of 66 was achieved by the Knight Riders in just 5 overs as Yusuf Pathan cut loose, scoring 37 of just 18 deliveries. The Knight Riders have performed well with the bat throughout this season and will not have problems in that department.
The Knight Riders included the youngster Ankit Rajpoot in the squad and he picked up the wicket of Saurabh Tiwary in his short spell. Hopefully, Gambhir keeps his faith in the youngster as this increases his bowling options along with Morkel, Russell and Narine as his main bowlers.
The Knight Riders are in a blazing form but one cannot put aside the Challengers. This will be an evenly matched contest, but considering the form of Kohli and de Villiers, the Challengers might just stand above the Knight Riders on this one.
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