An injury-hit Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are facing off against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in match no. 9 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the iconic Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata on Thursday. Although KKR have won the IPL title twice and RCB are yet to ever get their hands around the trophy, it is Faf du Plessis-led Bangalore side who will start as the favourites in this contest.
RCB, featuring former India captain Virat Kohli, hammered five-time champions Mumbai Indians by eight wickets in their first game of IPL 2023 and will be full of confidence. They will, however, miss the services of pacer Reece Topley – who had come in for injured Josh Hazlewood – as the Englishman dislocated his shoulder in the first game.
KKR have bigger headaches after losing their first game to Punjab Kings in Mohali. They have lost their skipper Shreyas Iyer for the entire season, while Shakib al Hasan has also decided to skip the tournament this year. Replacement placer Jason Roy will also not be available for match against RCB.
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Former RCB captain scored his fifth and last IPL century against the Kolkata Knight Riders, smashing 100 off just 58 balls against KKR in IPL 2019. Can Kohli notch up his sixth ton in IPL tonight at the Eden Gardens