NEWS
Follow UsAfter an entertaining last two days in the group stages, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders clash in the first eliminator at the tricky Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday. RCB qualified on merit by becoming third team to seal play-offs berth and missed out on a opportunity to finish second after their previous match against Delhi Capitals went to the final ball. For KKR, they virtually sealed the fourth remaining spot with a massive win over Rajasthan Royals on the penultimate day of the group stages and waited for Sunrisers Hyderabad to knock out Mumbai Indians on the last day.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 28 | KKR – 15 wins | RCB – 13 wins
Last five matches: RCB – 4 wins | KKR – 1 win
SUGGESTED TEAM
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
GROUND DETAILS
Sharjah has the trickiest surface to bat which might seem like the pitch acting against the batters, but as Brian Lara told in Cricket.com's recently, the conditions at the venue have always been the same since decades and suggested batting sides should look to keep 6-7 wickets in hand until the 15 overs before going ballistic. This season, the average first innings score is 137 at the venue which tells the tale. Pacers have the lion share of the wickets claiming 70 from 16 innings and have an identical economy of 6.9 with spinners given the low-scoring nature of the wicket. Even though they have a higher average of 26, spinners have contributed in turning matches around, so it is better to go with two leg-spinners along with three pacers in your team.
SUGGESTED CAPTAIN
Shubman Gill has been the anchor for KKR at the top of the order with blistering starts alongside Venkatesh Iyer. He has the best strike rate of 117.7 among KKR batsmen in the first 10 overs and has the experience of playing in testing conditions.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Gill could score 32-48 runs in this match.
Lockie Ferguson is among the best T20 bowlers in the business with his express pace and sudden variations often troubling the batters. He was sensational against RR where he cleaned up the middle-order and returned figures of 3-18.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Ferguson could pick 2-3 wickets in this match.
KS Bharat heroics from the DC game aside, is the answer to RCB's No.3 conundrum where AB de Villiers, Dan Christian and Glenn Maxwell have struggled to get going. He has the ability to pace his innings with increasing strike rate which is vital for their top-order fortunes at Sharjah.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Bharat could score 30-46 runs in this match.
Glenn Maxwell has been in the form of his life scoring 498 runs from 13 innings at an average of 45.27 and has entertained fans with jaw-dropping reverse hits and powerful hits to the fence. He has been a handy off-spinner in the middle overs which could useful on a bowler-friendly surface like Sharjah.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Maxwell could pick 0-1 wickets and score 17-25 runs in this match.