'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Chepauk in Chennai in the first game of an IPL 2021 double-header on Sunday.
RCB are now the only unbeaten team in the IPL 2021 season with two wins from as many games. Their thrilling win over SRH will certainly have them brimming with confidence.
KKR, on the other hand, made an absolute hash of a straightforward run-chase, falling short by ten runs against the Mumbai Indians (MI). Eoin Morgan's side will be looking to get back to winning ways.
3 bowlers who could shine in the RCB vs KKR game
As already witnessed in the few games at the Chepauk, the ball has dominated the bat and that is likely to be the case in the upcoming encounter between the two teams. On that note, let's have a look at three bowlers who could pick up the most wickets in the RCB vs KKR game.
#3 Andre Russell
Andre Russell's success as a death bowler has been a revelation for KKR this season so far. The big Jamaican has proved to be a valuable asset with the ball in the two games that he has played, especially at the death.
The angle that Russell creates while bowling round the wicket to right-handed batsmen is difficult to score off. This unusual angle makes it tough for the hard-hitting batsmen to regularly find the boundary.
Fresh off a five-wicket haul in the game against MI in just two overs, Andre Russell will be relishing the challenge at hand against the likes of AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell.
With the RCB batsmen likely to try and attack Russell at the death, he could possibly end up getting a handful of wickets for the second game in a row.
#2 Harshal Patel
When Harshal Patel was traded in from the Delhi Capitals, not many fathomed the kind of impact that he would have for RCB. Some weren't even sure whether the Gujarat pacer would make to RCB's playing XI in the first place.
However, the surface at Chepauk has been conducive to Patel's style of bowling. He became the first bowler in IPL history to bag a fifer against defending champions MI. Patel's cutters and other variations instantly made him a hit in the slog overs.
The 30-year-old has come up as one of the biggest solutions to RCB's long-standing issue of death bowling. He continued his fine form against SRH too, bowling the tough overs and picking up a couple of wickets to help RCB defend a modest total of 149.
With 7 wickets from 2 games, Patel is the joint-highest wicket-taker in the competition so far. There is a high chance that he will again be leading the wickets-chart in the RCB vs KKR contest.
#1 Varun Chakravarthy
Not a name many would have expected to top this list, but Varun Chakravarthy will be the bowler to watch out for in the RCB vs KKR game. Last season, Chakravarthy was arguably KKR's best bowler, as his 17 wickets from 13 games almost helped them make it to the playoffs.
This season, though, the 29-year-old has started slowly with just a solitary wicket from the first two games. However, he still is an X-factor for KKR as he can win games single-handedly on his day.
Chakravarthy's economy rate has also increased from 6.84 last season to 7.87 so far. Perhaps batsmen are playing him smartly and not taking too many risks against him. But talented bowlers do find a way to hit back and the Tamil Nadu spinner is certainly one of them.
So it won't be a surprise if Chakravarthy runs through RCB's batting line-up with his mystery spin on a slow surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. It will be interesting to see how he deals with the likes of Maxwell.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
