IPL 2024 RCB vs KKR Preview - Gauntlet thrown down as big scoring expected to continue

Key match stats

Pitch Stats – M Chinnaswamy Stadium IPL records

Pitch stats from the 10 most recent IPL matches played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium

Team form RCB vs KKR

RCB: LW
KKR: W

Recent meetings: IPL 2023 KKR won by 21 runs, KKR won by 81 runs

Weather

General Forecast: Dry and Clear
Chance of dew: Low

Preview RCB vs KKR

RCB got their season up and running with a victory over PBKS here in Bengaluru earlier in the week. Virat Kohli, dropped on 0, went onto make 77 but otherwise the form of the Royal Challengers much vaunted batting line-up will be of concern at this early stage of the season.

For the 2nd match running, it was the lower-middle order that bailed RCB out as Dinesh Karthik used all his experience alongside the power hitting of impact sub Lomror to get Bengaluru over the line.

As KKR themselves can attest to, having strong finishers is a must have for any side hoping to consistently win tight IPL contests. Karthik has now scored 60 runs during the last 5 overs of matches this season, well on his way to eclipsing the very mediocre 107 runs that he managed in that phase of the game across the entirety of IPL 2023.

Of course, what those lower orders need is a platform to build on and to date, that's been a problem for both KKR and RCB. While RCB can point to the fact that their record from last season suggests that a big contribution is on its way, KKR are still struggling to find the right combinations and kind of consistent form amongst their top 4.

Reverting back to Sunil Narine as an opener reeks of desperation and just a lack of other plausible alternatives even at this very early stage of the season. I'd be interested to know what the KKR management have seen in Narine's recent performances with the bat that made them think that this was a route to overcoming their well documented top order problems?

Sunil Narine batting record in the powerplay, all T20 cricket since 2022

Particularly with Phil Salt in the side who we know is going to be ultra aggressive no matter what, it doesn't feel like KKR really need an old-fashioned 'pinch hitter'. Instead, what they need is someone who can bat through large parts of their innings and ensure they don't find themselves 3 down at the end of the powerplay and reliant on another miracle performance from their middle order to get runs on the board. Let's see what they come up with today...

Given the power hitters on both sides and what we know about the conditions here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the other defining factor to success in this match will be the side that can best limit the inevitable boundary scoring, particularly at the back end of the innings.

RCB did a pretty good job of that against PBKS on Monday night. Bowling at the death was a major weakness for Royal Challengers last season and this KKR side will definitely test whether that performance was a one off or if they are still vulnerable in those closing stages.

By contrast, KKR almost ended up losing their opening game against SRH thanks to some big hitting at the back end of the innings. That's likely to be a common theme at both Eden Gardens and this venue but the Knight Riders will need to improve on the 80 runs they conceded in the final 5 overs of their first match - that's an economy of 16 an over at the death!

RCB vs KKR head to head

KKR bowling vs RCB batting

The big battle at the top of the innings will of course be Kohli and du Plessis vs Mitchell Starc. The Aussie who broke the record for the most expensive buy in IPL history had a chastening debut for KKR courtesy of Heinrich Klassen. However, his record shows that he's a proven wicket taker and it's common to see a bit of movement early on here in Bengaluru as he knows full well from a previous stint with RCB.

Mitch Starc T20 bowling record at the M Chinnaswamy

This is not a ground where spinners have been able to control the middle overs in recent matches as evidenced by the fact that the economy rate for slow bowlers over the last 10 IPL matches played here at the M Chinnaswamy is higher than at any other ground being used this season.

That goes a long way to explaining why RCB choose not to invest big money on a spinner during the auction but KKR have generally lined-up up with 3 of them in recent IPL games. Will they do the same again in this match?

Bowling economy rates over the last 10 IPL matches at each venue

While those underlying stats suggest that playing 3 frontline spinners here might pose a risk, KKR can point to the fact that they beat RCB twice last season in no small part thanks to the exploits of their slow bowlers. That included the match here at the M Chinnaswamy stadium where Chakaravarthy and Suyesh Sharma took 5 wickets between them to limit RCB in a run chase.

Maxwell combined T20 head to head vs Chakaravarthy and Narine

The head to head record of those spinners against many of the RCB batsmen is also impressive. Sunil Narine has dismissed du Plessis and Kohli 6 times in previous T20 meetings while maintaining an economy rate of under 5.5 an over across the 35 overs he's bowled at the pair. Meanwhile, RCB's specialist spin hitter in Glen Maxwell has also struggled.

RCB bowling vs KKR batting

If KKR do want to consider alternatives in the top order then perhaps Manish Pandey could do a job for them, particularly considering that he knows this venue very well and averages over 40 here with a strike rate just shy of 130.

Otherwise, could this be Yash Dayal's chance of redemption following his now (in)famous last over against KKR in which Rinku Singh hit him for 5 x 6s?

KKR's current squad T20 head to head vs Yash Dayal

His record against KKR's batsmen in general is pretty awful but RCB seem to be using him in a very different way than GT have done the last couple of seasons. Yash Dayal has bowled 3 straight powerplay overs in both RCB's matches this season whereas in his previous 2 years in the IPL almost 60% of his overs came during overs 7 to 20 and it's at the death where he's been found wanting. Against this fragile looking KKR top order he might well fancy turning the tables if he's handed the new ball again.

Russell T20 record at the M Chinnaswamy

In fact, it doesn't really matter who you are, you probably don't want to have the ball in your hand when Andre Russell comes into bat at the moment, particularly considering his record at this stadium. I'd say that he only middles about 1 in 10 of the shots he plays but his strength is such that it doesn't really matter and with the relatively short boundaries in Bengaluru then it might be worth wearing a helmet if you're watching in the crowd!

The match last night between SRH and MI might just have lit the blue touch paper for excessive scoring in this tournament and Russell amongst others on display in this fixture won't want to miss out on the fun!

---

All stats used in this blog are from my own databases which are freely accessible below
IPL player head to head records
IPL player records by stadium
IPL stadium records.
Images are my own with the exception of player profiles and highlights within GIFs which are not intended to infringe copyright- read full disclaimer. Background images are used under a creative commons license or otherwise royalty free.