Picking a combined RCB-KKR playing XI for IPL 2024 ft. Virat Kohli, Andre Russell

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in match number 10 of IPL 2024 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, March 29.

RCB have played two games so far, losing the first and winning the second. After losing to Chennai Super Kings, they came back well to beat Punjab Kings by four wickets. Meanwhile, KKR began their campaign with a four-run win over SunRisers Hyderabad.

Bengaluru won the toss and bowled first against Punjab. They did an impressive job to hold PBKS to 176-6. In the chase, RCB were on the back foot but pulled off a win on the back of their batting might.

As for KKR, they batted first and posted 208-7 against SRH. Heinrich Klaasen's 63 off 29 gave Hyderabad a real shot at victory, but Kolkata held their nerve to get home eventually.

In their head-to-head record, KKR have won 18 of 32 games, while RCB have won 14.

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As the teams gear up to resume their rivalry, we pick a combined XI of the two sides for IPL 2024:

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Openers: Virat Kohli (captain), Phil Salt

Phil Salt scored a fine half-century against Hyderabad. (Pic: iplt20.com)

RCB's Virat Kohli and KKR's Phil Salt would be the openers in the combined Bengaluru-Kolkata XI. Faf du Plessis misses out due to lack of big scores in the tournament.

Kohli scored a brilliant 77 off 49 against Punjab Kings, hitting 11 fours and two sixes. As for Salt, he contributed a crucial 54 off 44 in Kolkata's high-scoring clash against SunRisers Hyderabad.

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Middle-order/ All-rounders: Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk)

Dinesh Karthik played a fine cameo against Punjab Kings. (Pic: iplt20.com)

KKR captain Shreyas Iyer was dismissed for a duck against SRH, caught at mid-off by his opposite number Pat Cummins off T Natarajan. However, Shreyas has proved himself as a batter in the IPL, with 2,776 runs in 102 games. He thus finds a place in the combined XI.

Glenn Maxwell was dismissed cheaply against Punjab Kings. He managed only 3 off 5, getting bowled by Harpreet Brar. However, he made a significant contribution with the ball, taking out Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh. Considering his versatility, it's difficult to leave Maxwell out of a combined XI.

Another all-rounder, Andre Russell had a sensational outing for KKR against SRH. He hammered an unbeaten 64 off 25, clobbering three fours and seven sixes. Russell then chipped in with two wickets with his medium pace to complete a memorable game.

Rinku Singh and Dinesh Karthik would be terrific as the finishers in the RCB-KKR combined XI. Rinku contributed 23 off 15 for Kolkata against Hyderabad, hitting three fours. Meanwhile, Karthik slammed 28* off 10, with the aid of three fours and two sixes, to lift RCB to victory against PBKS.

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Bowlers: Mitchell Starc, Suyash Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Karn Sharma

Mitchell Starc needs to live up to his price tag. (Pic: iplt20.com)

KKR's left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, the most expensive buy in the history of the IPL, had a forgettable game against SunRisers Hyderabad.

He was clobbered for 53 runs in his four overs and didn't pick up a wicket. Given his experience and quality, though, Starc finds a place in the combined RCB-KKR XI for IPL 2024.

Starc would have Royal Challengers Bengaluru's seasoned right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj as his bowling partner. Siraj has been in brilliant form over the last few months and came up with an excellent spell against PBKS too, registering figures of 2-26 in four overs.

Suyash Sharma and Karn Sharma would be the spinners in the combined XI. Suyash did not have much to do with the ball against SRH. He bowled two overs for 18 runs but didn't claim a wicket but took a superb catch to dismiss dangerman Klaasen.

Karn was expensive against CSK, but picked the key wicket of Rachin Ravindra. He did not feature against Punjab Kings but is a handy bowler who has made some crucial contributions.