IPL 2018: Kolkata Knight Riders opt to field vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the toss against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and chose to bowl at Eden Gardens on Sunday, showing that the captain may have changed but their way of doing things remain the same. (KKR v RCB live updates) (Live scores)

This is a team that backs its bowlers ever since they overhauled the squad in 2011 and after another revamp seven seasons later, KKR showed they are sticking to the old way of doing things. Also, given that the dew can be a factor here later in the evening, it may have been a good toss to win for new skipper Dinesh Karthik.

The foreigners on both sides seemed to be on expected lines with KKR opting for Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn and Mitchell Johnson and RCB playing Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers and Chris Woakes. But what could seem like a surprise is KKR giving youngster Rinku Singh a game at the start of IPL 11.

Just over 20, Singh is a left-hander who bats in the middle-order and is said to be rated highly by Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav, two players who have been with KKR and who have also played with him in the domestic circuit for Uttar Pradesh.

Singh last played in February, scoring 91 against Tripura and it will have to be seen how he takes to slam-bang cricket at this level.

And if Singh is the youngster who will get his first feel of the IPL, R Vinay Kumar will return in a purple shirt after three seasons having won the IPL with KKR in 2014.

RCB have three players in the 11 who know what it feels like playing for the home team at Eden. Brendon McCullum last played for KKR in 2013 but Umesh Yadav and Chris Woakes did that last season.

Between them, they took four wickets for KKR on an April night when RCB collapsed to 49. It will have to be seen whether they can do an encore less than a year later. That night too, Woakes and Yadav were bowling second.