RCB vs KKR Match Prediction: Who will win the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2016, Match 30

The Knight Riders travel to Bangalore to lock horns against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Match no. 30 of the VIVO IPL, 2016. We could be in for a fantastic game of cricket when two Delhi men Kohli and Gambhir lead their respective franchises in a bid to secure some valuable points to move forward in the competition. Let's talk about the visitors first. The Knight Riders have seen a little slump in form losing two on the trot against Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils respectively. Gautam Gambhir would like to arrest the slide with an important win and kick on from here. They are currently on 8 points with 4 wins and 3 losses. We have done the complete match prediction analysis for RCB vs KKR clash.

Up against them would be the fancied-yet-underwhelming team of the season, Royal Challengers Bangalore. Bangalore has won just 2 out of the 6 games and they would want to get their act together before it is too late. It could be the same old story again this season for RCB if the bowlers don't execute their plans well. One can expect Virat Kohli to ring in the changes and opt for horses for courses while selecting the right side. KKR start favourites for this game but one can never count the supremely talented RCB out.

Venue: Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Match date: May 2, 2016

Match timings: 2000 hrs IST

If Royal Challengers Bangalore bat first

Predicted Score: 170 and above

Skipper Virat Kohli will open the innings with KL Rahul, who played an absolute gem of an innings against the Sunrisers couple of nights back. There could also be a case for opening with Watson if the RCB think tank feel the Aussie all-rounder could be at his best at the top. Sachin Baby and Kedar Jadhav will occupy the lower middle order. A lot though would rest on AB de Villiers to carry the RCB innings on his able shoulders.

The bowling is something the RCB will be sweating over as one feels the RCB bowlers could travel the distance if they get it wrong against a formidable KKR batting. If Kane Richardson sits out, Chris Jordan could open the bowling with Varun Aaron. Jordan has been a welcome addition to their bowling line-up which has struggled big time in this tournament. They will be wary of the hitting prowess of the opposition and the RCB bowlers would need to take a cue from teams like Mumbai Indians.

RCB will depend on their Chinaman, Tabraiz Shamsi to provide the key breakthroughs in the middle. Harshal Patel and Parvez Rasool would hope they don't let their team down by leaking runs in the middle. For someone like Patel, he could try to bowl the wide yorkers with a predominantly off-side field. Andre Russell vs Tabraiz Shamsi should be a fun contest to look forward to. From RCB’s point of view, they would want to see Jordan bowling his accurate yorkers at the back-end of the innings.

If Kolkata Knight Riders bat first

Predicted score: 180 and above

The Knights have a settled opening combination of Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa. Uthappa being a Karnataka boy would know the conditions at the back of his hand. If the openers can give a strong start, the Knight Riders surely have the firepower in the middle to capitalise on that. Suryakumar Yadav and Shakib Al Hasan should provide the impetus in the middle. The lower middle order for KKR comprises of the likes of Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell and it could be carnage on the cards in the later overs at Chinnaswamy.

The KKR bowling line-up looks far better than RCB on paper with a lot of variety tailor-made for this format. Gambhir might consider opening the bowling with a spinner as the RCB top order like the extra pace on the ball. Sunil Narine could be the chosen one to bowl a couple of overs in the powerplay.

Umesh Yadav has picked up wickets at the top and that should please KKR. The death bowling has to improve though after the beating they got from the Daredevils changed the complexion of the previous game. Morne Morkel might get a game and it will interesting to see him having a go at AB de Villiers. Expect the likes of Sunil Narine and Shakib to put the brakes in the scoring. It's advantage KKR but it will be foolish on our part to undermine RCB's ability to turn a cricket match on its head.

Probable winners: Kolkata Knight Riders