Ind T20 League 2023

Match 36: BLR vs KOL

Preview 

Bangalore (BLR) will look to continue their winning streak as they take the field against Kolkata (KOL) in match number 36 of the Indian T20 League 2023. The match will be played at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. The hosts will feel confident after sealing a close game against Rajasthan in their last encounter. Kolkata on the other hand suffered a massive 49 run loss against table toppers, Chennai and must bounce back from that. The two time champions are coming into this match on the back of four consecutive losses. Their bowling department  has put on a lacklustre show thus far. With BLR batters in supreme form at the moment, KOL bowlers will need to come up with their A game on Wednesday. 

Virat Kohli will be delighted with the overall performance of his side after a 7 run win against Rajasthan  in the last game. The side has won three of their last four games, and will once again back themselves at home. Faf Du Plessis would like his middle order to contribute, which has been one of their biggest concerns this season. Apart from the ‘big 3’, no other batter has shown signs of promise this season. The likes of Shahbaz Khan, Mahipal Lomror, Suyash Prabhudessai and Dinesh Karthik must rise to the occasion and deliver the goods. Mohammad Siraj has led the bowling attack for Du Plessis and co. With 13 wickets to his name, he is the currently the leading wicket taker in this edition of the competition. David Willey will share the new ball with Siraj. Wanindu Hasaranga has loads of experience and will need to bowl well during the middle overs with Glenn Maxwell. Vijaykumar Vyshak and Harshal must do well in the supporting act and try to maintain consistency, as the pair has only done well in patches. 

Nitish Rana’s men have entered a mid-season crisis. They started their campaign well but have dropped in from and come here with four losses on the bounce. A dismal show from their bowlers in the last game resulted in a 49 run loss as they conceded 235 runs bowling first. The players must get their act together, and the bowling prowess must deliver for the side to emerge victorious. The opening combination hasn’t worked for them. They went with Sunil Narine and N Jagadessan against Chennai and failed miserably. Venkatesh Iyer, Jason Roy and Nitish Rana in the middle order have made runs but in bits and pieces. The addition of David Wiese in the playing XI has given them a power hitter down the order. He alongside Rinku Singh and Andre Russel can flourish in the finishing act. The bowlers need to get their basics right. Skipper Rana would be relying on good spells from Umesh Yadav and David Wiese with the new ball. Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Suyash Sharma can test BLR’s middle order with their subtle variations. 

Ahead of this cracking encounter, let us have a look at how the two teams fare out on Wednesday

Match Details

Match: BLR vs KOL, 36th Match, IND T20 League 2023

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Time: 07:30 PM

Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Pitch and Weather Report

The M Chinnaswamy ground is favoured by the batters. Considering the batting friendly conditions we expect a high scoring thriller. Having said that, spinners will do get some assistance from the wicket. 

The weather during match day will mostly be sunny with a maximum temperature of 27 degree celsius. 

BLR vs KOL Squads

BLR: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Michael Bracewell, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, R Sonu Yadav

KOL: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N Jadadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das, Mandeep Singh, Shakib Al Hasan

BLR vs KOL Probable Playing XIs

BLR: Virat Kohli (c), Faf du Plessis, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suyash Prabhudessai, David Willey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammed Siraj, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harshal Patel

KOL: N Jagadeesan (wk), Jason Roy, Nitish Rana (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Suyash Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Match Prediction

KOL are in woeful form, and the side lacks confidence. Their top order has struggled to get going, and bowlers have been inconsistent. BLR on the contrary are in red hot form with two of their most important players in great touch. They will be playing in M.Chinnaswamy Stadium and will thus be familiar with the playing conditions. 

BLR to win this game. 

Top Fantasy Picks

Faf Du Plessis:  He is the current holder of the orange cap with 405 runs under his belt. The BLR skipper has looked in imperious touch off late and has led his side from the front. He would look to continue his golden run with bat in hand and give his side another flying start.  

Mohammad Siraj: Siraj has unarguably been BLR’s best bowler this season. He has picked 13 wickets while bowling at an average of 15 and an economy rate of 7.14. 

Venkatesh Iyer: He is the top run getter for KOL this season. Despite the technical flaws in his batting technique, Iyer has mustered to score runs. The swashbuckler has mounted 254 runs at a strike rate of 159. 

Varun Chakaravarthy: The exciting talent has been the best bowler for Kolkata and has 10 scalps to his name.  He possesses the ability to trouble BLR batters with his clever variations.

Risky Captaincy Choice

Suyash Sharma has been impressive this season. He has grabbed headlines with his crafty deceptions and speed variations. He picked a three-fer against the same opposition on his Ind T20 League debut. Expect the leg spinner to do well in this game. 

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