Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the fifth game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Having beaten Mumbai Indians in their first game, KKR will look to carry the momentum into their second home match.
On the other hand, this will be RCB's first match and as we all know, they have one of the most formidable batting line-up and are raring to go.
Virat Kohli is confident that the international players will play expressive brand of cricket. On the other hand, Morne Morkel is ready to face the RCB challenge.
Here are some key battles that one can expect to witness in this high-voltage match:
Robin Uthappa vs Sean Abott: Uthappa could not make a mark in the last game against Mumbai Indians and therefore will look to trouble the scorers against RCB. His flamboyant stroke play makes him one of the best in the business. Sean Abott is likely to get his hands on the ball in the absence of Mitchell Starc and Adam Milne. This will be a huge opportunity for him and he too would like to impress his skipper and the selectors.
Surya Kumar Yadav vs Yuzvendra Chahal: KKR's new hitman Surya Kumar Yadav tore apart the Mumbai Indians bowling attack that included Lasith Malinga. His quick-fire 46 came from just 20 balls. He likes to hit the ball towards the leg side and watching him playing against the spin of Yuzvendra Chahal will be interesting. Chahal had a good season with the ball last year and he has this ability to deceive the batsmen with his flight.
Chris Gayle vs Sunil Narine: The big Carribbean is fit and raring to go. The entire cricket fraternity is aware of what he can do to any bowling attack. Recently, he hit a double hundred in the World Cup. He will be up against fellow West Indian Sunil Narine. Gambhir would like to pick up Gayle's wicket early and for that he might give the responsibility to Narine. It will be an interesting contest.
Morne Morkel vs Ab de Villiers: Given the form de Villiers is in right now, one can expect great batting from him. He was the highest scorer for South Africa in the World Cup, with an incredible average of 96.40. He will be up against his South African speedster Morne Morkel, who was also the highest wicket taker for South Africa in the recently-concluded World Cup. Morkel was adjudged man of the match in the last game against Mumbai Indians and he would look to repeat the same in this match as well. Morkel had said earlier in an interview that he is up for the Ab challenge.
Virat Kohli vs Shakib al Hasan: Kohli will look to get back to scoring runs as soon as possible. He has the capability to take on any bowling attack, which makes him one of the best in the world. He will be up against Shakib who can be very deceptive with his flight, and his trajectory makes it difficult for batsmen to play shots.
KKR will have the advantage of playing at home, along with the momentum and bowling attack they possess. But you never know what Gayle and Ab de Villiers have in store for fans. It's going to be a thrilling contest for sure.
