Who Will Win KKR vs RCB 3rd Match, IPL 2018?
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders are set to go up against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the third fixture of the Indian Premier League 2018. Scheduled to be played on April 8, the match will be hosted by the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Live action will begin at 8 PM local time.
KKR vs RCB: Where to Watch/Live Streaming
TV channels: Star Sports, Sky Sports, Fox Sports, OSN Sports Cricket HD
Live Streaming: Hotstar, Bet365, Sky Go, OSN Play
Toss Prediction
The wicket at the Eden Gardens generally tends to become relatively easier to bat on during the second period of play. Moreover, there is a possibility of dew later in the evening in this fixture of IPL and so the toss-winning skipper could be tempted to bowl first.
Read on for team analysis, betting odds, betting tips and match prediction for KKR vs RCB, Indian Premier League 2018....
KKR Team News & Playing 11
Team News
Dinesh Karthik has been appointed as the new captain of the team. Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the IPL 11 with a leg injury and has been replaced with England paceman Tom Curran.
Key Players
KKR's batting strength resides mainly in the likes of Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik. Uthappa is amongst the top-ten leading run-getters in the IPL while Lynn has the reputation of clearing the fence at will. Andre Russell is another hard-hitter and can be dangerous down the order. Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav will be the team's best bets with the ball. The latter had an excellent tour of South Africa and the wrist-spinner will be the trump card for the Knight Riders.
Recent Form
Kolkata Knight Riders won eight and lost six out of their fourteen league games last season to finish fourth in the standings. They knocked out Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator but could not overcome Mumbai Indians in the second Qualifier.
Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing 11
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Dinesh Karthik (c/wk), Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Tom Curran, Kuldeep Yadav, Vinay Kumar
RCB Team News & Playing 11
Team News
New Zealand all-Rounder Corey Anderson has replaced Nathan Coulter-Nile who has been ruled out of the entire tournament as he is still recovering from an injury. The franchise has released Shane Watson and Chris Gayle and has brought in Quinton de Kock and Brendon McCullum as their replacements.
Key Players
While there are a number of quality batsmen in the side, the Kohli-de Villers pair is going to be the key for RCB. They are two of the most consistent batsmen in world cricket and can exploit any weaknesses in the opposition's bowling. Kohli is second on the tournament's runs charts and his role will become all the more important should RCB happen to chase. When it comes to bowling, the team will bank on spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar to do the job. The former is the second-best bowler in T20 cricket and he could draw the KKR batsmen into playing some false shots.
Recent Form
After back-to-back successful seasons in 2015 and 2016, Royal Challengers Bangalore found themselves at the bottom of the points table at the end of the league stage last year with just three wins and ten defeats. They did manage to bow out on a high with a 10-run victory over the Delhi Daredevils in their final match.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Predicted Playing 11
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Virat Kohli (c), Brendon McCullum, Parthiv Patel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, AB de Villiers, Colin de Grandhomme, Corey Anderson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Siraj
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Head to Head
Kolkata Knight Riders have faced Royal Challengers Bangalore 20 times in the Indian Premier League and have emerged victorious on 11 occasions. These two teams last squared off in the previous season during the latter stages of the league round. KKR registered a comfortable six-wicket win in that game.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Betting Odds
Royal Challengers Bangalore are favorites amongst the bookmakers to win this match at odds of 1.85 on Betfair, 1.72 on Bet365, 1.73 on Unibet, 1.80 on Ladbrokes and 1.75 on Betway. Kolkata Knight Riders, despite playing on their home ground, begin as the bookmakers' underdogs at odds of 2.12 on Betfair, 2 on Ladbrokes, 2.05 on Betway and 2.10 each on Bet365 and Unibet.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Prediction
Kolkata Knight Riders have the home advantage on their side and they have won three of their last four matches played against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The former did the double over the latter in the previous season and this should give them plenty of confidence going into this game. However, bowling is where they could really struggle as no other bowler except Kuldeep Yadav and Sunil Narine look threatening enough. RCB on the other hand have two quality spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar who has been impressive of late in limited-overs cricket. They also have good all-round options in Colin de Grandhomme and Corey Anderson besides a formidable batting line-up featuring Kohli and de Villiers both of whom have been in good form. Royal Challengers Bangalore look slightly superior on paper and if they can play to their potential, it should get tough for the Knight Riders to win this one.
Final Verdict: Back Royal Challengers Bangalore to beat Kolkata Knight Riders at 1.85 on 1xbet, 1.72 on Bet365, 1.73 on Unibet, 1.80 on 10Cric and 1.75 on Betway.
Apr 08, 2018
20:00 IST / 14:30 GMT
Eden Gardens - Kolkata, India
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