In this article, we will discuss the RCB vs KKR Comparison.
RCB vs KKR Comparison
RCB and KKR are the two arch-rivals in the history of IPL. They have been facing each other since the inaugural IPL match in 2008 at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. The two teams have the largest fan bases in the country. Whenever RCB and KKR play against each other, a clash happens on social media. It also rattles the gambling world.
After the auction for the 2022 IPL tournament, the prospects for the two teams look quite promising. Let’s have a head-to-head comparison of both teams, their strengths, weaknesses, and star players.
Royal Challengers Team
During the auction, RCB spent 10.75 Crore INR on Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri-Lankan all-rounder. They have also managed to grab Faf du Plessis, the South African skipper for 7 Crore INR. The core team comprises Dinesh Karthik, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, and Shahbaz Ahmed.
The players that the team has retained are Virat Kohli, Mohammad Siraj, and Glenn Maxwell.
Kolkata Knight Riders Team
Kolkata Knight Riders are one of the strongest teams in the Indian Premier League. The team has two titles under its name. They have won the trophy in 2012 and 2014. This year they have built a team with their eyes on the trophy.
KKR has retained 4 players in their team before the IPL auction- Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, and Venkatesh Iyer. During the auction, they have bought 21 more players.
The costliest player for the team was bought at 12.25 Crore INR and that is Shreyas Iyer. Shreyas Iyer is going to lead in the game. Other key players bought during the auction were Nitish Rana, Pat Cummins, Alex Hales, Mohammed Nabi, and Chamika Karunaratne.
Batting Line Up
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB has Faf du Plessis as the team’s captain and he is going to replace Virat Kohli, the team’s iconic player who has stepped down from the captainship at the tournament’s conclusion, last season.
Du Plessis has been an important part of the IPL. Previously, he played for Chennai Super Kings. In fact, he has managed to grab two IPL titles with CSK. The batter amassed 2932 runs from 93 innings and has a strike rate of 132.
RCB will miss the service of AB De Villiers as he retired from all forms of cricket, but du Plessis is a multi-skilled player who can be taken as a worthy replacement.
Virat Kohli is the top scorer in the history of IPL with 6283 runs. For the last few seasons, he has been opening the innings for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. So, it can be expected that he will continue to do so. No doubt, Kohli is one of the best batters RCB has. He will look to score as many runs for his team.
Kohli and du Plessis might be the opener for their team. Opening the batting will allow Kohli to set the pace, particularly while chasing. They both are experienced players and are sure to complement each other. Faf du Plessis isn’t new to opening batting, either. He has been the opening batter for CSK since he returned to IPL in 2018.
Kolkata Knight Riders
It has been surprising for many that Kolkata Knight Riders did not retain the strongest opener in the previous two years, Shubman Gill. Sure, Gill is not the most noteworthy name in T20 cricket but he is the player of the future. He has been a consistent player and would have only gotten better.
But from the players that KKR has purchased, it appears like Alex Hales is the strongest one along with Venkatesh Iyer. Hales should consider himself lucky to be a part of KKR. His presence will only make things better for them. Together they can be a promising opening pair.
Venkatesh Iyer has been the primary difference for KKR between the first and second phases. He scored 370 runs at the top order at UAE and also collected 3 wickets.
Bowling Line Up
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
In 2021, Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally found a balance in terms of their bowling. Even though they have had some experienced and promising bowlers in their team over the years, it is usually the batters who helped them win the matches.
But IPL 2022 may see bowlers shouldering more load and also delivering. They have come up with some quality bowlers in their team. RCB has signed some impressive players, such as David Willey, Josh Hazlewood, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, and Wanindu Hasaranga. The Indian players in the bowling attack are Chama Miling, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Shahbaz Ahmed Aneeshwar Gautam. These names form the best bowling lineup for the team.
Trent Boult can cause some serious left-arm quick damage. Sure, he is expensive at times but the lengths and angles can be troublesome even for the top batters.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Coming to the bowlers of KKR, you will notice that they have replicated their previous season’s bowling with the likes of Shivam Mavi, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, and Sunil Narine. There is just one difference and that is the replacement of Prasidh Krishana with Umesh Yadav. No, Umesh isn’t a bad bowler but Prasidh is better.
KKR has a good bowling attack. They have 4 strong bowlers and 3 all-rounders. Pat Cummins is going to lead the pace attack and Varun Chakravarthy will lead the spin attack.
All About Wicket Keeping
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
During the auction, RCB did not buy KS Bharat, the wicketkeeper-batter. Fans were expecting that he would be signed again following the resignation of AB de Villiers. Rather they chose Dinesh Karthik. He would be playing for the franchise for the second time.
Dinesh Karthik, the wicketkeeper-batter will definitely be the first choice for wicket keeping for RCB. He is an explosive chatterbox behind the wicket. The wicketkeeper has the ability to motivate the bowlers and formulate a strategy in no time.
Anuj Rawat is the backup option of the team. He is known to be a safe bet behind the stumps. In case the management decides to hand him the gloves for the game, it will serve as a deciding factor.
RCB also has Luvnith Sisodia who had shown his skill in the Karnataka Premier League. He took 4 catches behind the wicket and stumped one Bellary Tuskers batter. But his performance went undetected. In the future, he can be the pennant-bearer of brilliance for the Challengers.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata has bought Sam Billings, the England wicketkeeper-batter in the auction for 2 Crore INR. He has previously played for Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. Until now, he has played 22 games in the Indian Premier League. Behind the stumps, he has taken 13 catches in the league.
With him, KKR now has three wicket keepers, the two others being Sheldon Jackson and Baba Indrajith.
Final Thoughts
Both the teams have a promising lineup and it is to be seen who takes over who with their performance. Royal Challengers Bengaluru is going to start their IPL 2022 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders on 30th March at DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai.
This was our RCB vs KKR Comparison. Comment down your opinion below.
| Read Also: IPL 2022 Points Table |