Their house in complete disorder after seven defeats from eight outings, the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore will be desperate for a win to stay afloat in the IPL when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Friday.

It would be a great opportunity for the Bangalore outfit to post a win against an opponent who are low on confidence having slipped from second to sixth position in the points table after suffering three straight defeats. In fact, to make matters worse, Kolkata’s dangerman Andre Russell has suffered an injury scare after being hit on his left shoulder by a bouncer during their practice.

Russell was already suffering from niggles ahead of their last match against Chennai Super Kings and had failed to fire for the first time, exposing KKR’s over-reliance on the West Indies big hitter.

Russell had left the Royal Challengers in shambles in their first leg exchange, smashing seven sixes en route to his 13-ball 48 not out as KKR had chased down a huge 206. It remains to be seen if the Jamaican recovers in time. His absence would be a big void for KKR, who are looking to return to winning ways and reignite their campaign.

Here’s a look at the top five player battles to watch out for in the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Chris Lynn vs Yuzvendra Chahal

Chris Lynn will be fancying his chances against Yuzvendra Chahal as the KKR batsman has a good record against him in the IPL. Lynn has smashed 74 runs from 51 balls in the cash-rich league at a strike-rate of 145.10. However, Chahal has dismissed Lynn once in the IPL and he will be surely looking to get his wicket early in their next match.

Dinesh Karthik vs Dale Steyn

Dinesh Karthik will have to be wary about the fact that Dale Steyn has joined the RCB camp. The KKR captain hasn’t had the best time against the fast bowler, getting out three times in the Indian Premier League. It will be interesting to see how Karthik faces the challenge from Steyn in their next match.

Robin Uthappa vs Umesh Yadav

Robin Uthappa has struggled against Umesh Yadav in the IPL. The KKR batsman has been dismissed twice by Yadav and managed a strike-rate of just 93.10 in the cash-rich league. Yadav will be hoping to take Uthappa’s wicket once again, while the KKR batsman will certainly work out a clear plan for the fast bowler.

Virat Kohli vs Sunil Narine

It will be interesting to see how Virat Kohli plays against Sunil Narine in their next match. The RCB captain has struggled to get going against the spinner, scoring 78 runs from 81 balls at a strike-rate of 96.30. Narine has dismissed Kohli twice in the IPL so far. Will Kohli bat aggressively against Narine or will he take the cautious approach? We will have to wait and see.

AB de Villiers vs Piyush Chawla

AB de Villiers will have to certainly watch out for Piyush Chawla in their next match. The South African has been dismissed four times by the leg-spinner in the Indian Premier League. De Villiers, who has been in good nick in this season, will be certainly looking to play out Chawla in their next encounter.

(With inputs from agencies)

First Published: Apr 18, 2019 20:14 IST