IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Head to head, Kohli, Karthik, Siraj eye record

1. Stats and milestones

A. Head to Head: In the IPL, KKR and RCB have played 27 games against each other. The KKR have won 14 matches while the RCB have emerged the winner in 13 matches.

B. 200 – Virat Kohli will become the first player in IPL history to play 200 matches for a single franchise. Overall, Kohli will be the fifth to achieve that feat. Dhoni was the last player to join that club earlier this year.

C. 71 – Virat Kohli is close to a massive personal feat as he just needs 71 runs to complete 10000 runs in T20 matches. He will be first Indian to achieve that mark and there are four other batsmen who have already achieved it including Kieron Pollard.

D. 5 – AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore needs just five sixes away to become the second player after Chris Gayle to hit 250 sixes in the IPL. The South African legend can easily achieve that feat in a single match.

E. 54 – Dinesh Karthik of Kolkata Knight Riders requires 54 more runs to become the 7th Indian batsmen and 11th overall to make 4000 IPL runs. If he takes two more catches, Karthik can overtake MS Dhoni as the wicketkeeper with most catches in the IPL. Karthik has 113 catches while Dhoni has 114 catches to his credit.

F. 5 – Mohammed Siraj, the Royal Challengers pace bowler, needs 5 wickets to complete 50 wickets in the IPL. The right-arm pacer from Hyderabad has so far grabbed 45 wickets in 42 appearances and he has been in good form of late and cannot be ruled out for a miraculous five-for.

G. 98 – The Kolkata Knight Riders’ veteran all-rounder Sunil Narine needs to score 98 runs to complete 1000 runs in the IPL. The West Indian so far has scored 902 runs in 124 appearances.

2. What happened in the first-round match?

The Royal Challengers Bangalore emerged a runway 38-run winner in the first round match at Chennai. AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell made brilliant fifties to propel RCB to 204 for 4 and then the bowlers restricted KKR to 166 for 8.

3. Where do the teams stand now?

The RCB are placed third in the IPL 2021 table with 10 points from 7 games. The KKR are now 7th in the table with just 4 points.

4. Captains’ words

Eoin Morgan, KKR: “We need to just look at it in one way — we absolutely control everything from here, there is no looking behind,” Morgan said during a virtual press conference ahead of its match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. “We need to find a way of getting results and everyone in the team, fans know that that can make for very exciting watching because it makes us a very dangerous side with nothing to lose.”

Virat Kohli, RCB: “Having played the game for so long at this level you understand that whether you are seven wins in a row you have to start the eighth with the same passion and commitment and professionalism. Whether you have no wins out of five games you still have to find motivation and the passion inside to go out and change the result. You can’t take anything for granted.”

“On the outside there are many analyses and data points but the game is not played on that. The game is never about information from the outside it is about reaction, belief in certain moments, game plans and making sure you have the will and commitment to execute those plans.”