IPL 2019 RCB vs KKR: 3 Changes that RCB should make for the match

RCB will be looking to get their first win against KKR ( Image Courtesy: IPLT20/BCCI)
RCB will be looking to get their first win against KKR ( Image Courtesy: IPLT20/BCCI)

The Royal Challengers Bangalore host the Kolkata Knight Riders on 5th April at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the RCB-KKR rivalry resumes. Both these teams come into this match on the back of contrasting fortunes and results. While KKR have won three of their first four games, RCB have lost all four of their games.

KKR have looked like one of the best teams in the IPL this year and RCB have looked horrendous so far. These bad performances from RCB are down to many reasons, but the primary reason is that they just can't seem to get the team combination right.

RCB's batting order looks a bit one dimensional and as soon as you get rid of that top order, not one batsman in that RCB middle order is in good form. Their bowling has also been a problem as barring Yuzvendra Chahal, no one has taken up the responsibility of picking up key wickets.

Keeping all that in mind, here are the 3 changes that RCB should make for their match against KKR:

#1 Navdeep Saini out - Nathan Coulter-Nile in

Nathan Coulter-Nile playing for KKR (Image Courtesy: IPLT20/BCCI)
Nathan Coulter-Nile playing for KKR (Image Courtesy: IPLT20/BCCI)

Navdeep Saini hasn't had a good start to his IPL career as he hasn't picked up a single wicket in the three matches that he has played so far. Having Saini, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj in the same team makes the pace battery look a bit one dimensional.

RCB so far have been missing that spark from their bowling lineup and Coulter-Nile could just be the spark that is needed for Kohli and his men.

The lanky Australian is a genuine wicket-taker and he has enough experience in this format to do the job for RCB. Also, Coulter-Nile can strike a long ball and his batting attributes can come handy in the slog overs.

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#2 Moeen Ali out - Washington Sundar in

Washington Sundar ( Image Courtesy: IPLT20/BCCI)
Washington Sundar ( Image Courtesy: IPLT20/BCCI)

If Nathan Coulter-Nile comes in, Moeen Ali or Shimron Hetmyer will have to be dropped, and personally, Moeen has done nowhere near enough to be in the RCB starting XI.

Also, Moeen has been preferred by Kohli over Washington Sundar and that decision just doesn't make any sense as Sundar has done nothing wrong to be dropped. Sundar has similar attributes to Moeen Ali and he is arguably a better bowler than the Englishman in T20s, and RCB need to strengthen their bowling more than their batting.

Also, having Sundar in the playing XI gives a better balance to this RCB side and balance has been one keyword that has been missing from their first four matches. Washington is a very versatile player and he is capable enough to bowl in the power play and in the middle overs.

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#3 Shimron Hetmyer out - Henrich Klaasen in

Shimron Hetmyer (Image Courtesy: IPLT20/BCCI)
Shimron Hetmyer (Image Courtesy: IPLT20/BCCI)

When RCB picked up Shimron Hetmyer from the auction, they would have thought that their middle-order problems are sorted, but the opposite has happened so far as Hetmyer hasn't looked at home in his first ever IPL.

The hard-hitting West Indian is clearly facing problems on turning wickets and he has done nothing so far to justify his price tag.

The scores of 0, 5, 9 and 1 do not make for good viewing in your first four matches and when one considers the fact that he has had ample overs to build his innings in three of those matches, these scores look even worse.

Henrich Klaasen is an able replacement for some like Hetmyer as Klaasen also has that hard-hitting ability and he has more experience of playing in the IPL than the West Indian. Also, that true bounce wicket at the Chinnaswamy will suit the batting style of the South African.

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Edited by Aadya Sharma