It is knockout cricket for the remainder of the Indian Premier League season and that begins on Monday afternoon when the IPL 2021 Eliminator is played out as the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders head to Sharjah looking to keep their campaign alive.
Each team goes into this match knowing they need to win three matches in just over four days if they are going to get their hands on the title, but for now they’ll be looking to win and progress to Qualifier 2 where the Delhi Capitals await them on Wednesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore will be disappointed not to make it into the top two but they finished their regular season with a win over the Delhi Capitals, which should give them a lot of belief to take into the knockout cricket with them. You could argue that Delhi handed them that win but I doubt the Royal Challengers will hang around to engage in any argument with you. They will need to avoid complacency though and that win did paper over one or two cracks which needs recognising.
Slowly but surely the Bangalore batting is beginning to come to the party. There is still too much reliance on Glenn Maxwell for my liking but at least they are getting a couple of individual efforts around him now which helps their chances. The problem I have with this side though is their bowling. They have been getting the job done but there has been a bit of fortune in some of the wickets they have been taking and you wonder if they can stay lucky for another three matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders have done very well to make it through to this stage. They haven’t played knockout cricket just yet because their net run rate always had them in control of their own destiny, but they have played one or two pressure matches and come through them which will have served them well. I think it is fair to say that the Knight Riders have been the best team in the UAE leg of the competition and they will secretly fancy their chances of going to the distance here.
The success of the Knight Riders in the UAE has been two fold. They have gone out with a really aggressive intention with the bat, which is a contrast to a lot of teams who have gone into their shell on these tough pitches, and also their bowlers have been very good. Eoin Morgan is a brilliant captain and there are signs of the way England play in this Knight Riders side. The question now is whether they can keep it up for another three matches. If they can they could yet be the champions again.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account to get up to £25 in free bets! Perfect offer for this tournament! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Key Men
It is getting boring now but I’ve got to flag Glenn Maxwell up as the key man. Even when he seemingly couldn’t move because of the conditions in the last game he still led the Royal Challengers Bangalore to victory. He is key with the bat and ball in this match.
Shubman Gill has made 50s in the last two matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He has done it selflessly too and allowed the other players in the side to take the risks and play the explosive shots while he ensured a score was put on the board. Expect a similar tactic here.
Betting
These are two decent sides who are fighting to stay alive for the season. I doubt Royal Challengers Bangalore need me to remind them that when these two met in the opening match for both after the restart the Kolkata Knight Riders rolled them over for 92 and chased it down with 10 overs to spare. I don’t think Kolkata will win this one as easily as they won that one because a couple more Bangalore batters are up to speed now, but I do think the Knight Riders will win this one.
I think the Knight Riders are the better all-round team and I very much think they are better suited to these tough Sharjah conditions. Their bowling attack is either real pace or mystery spin and those are the skills needed to prosper here. Bangalore don’t have much raw pace and only one real mystery spinner unless someone like Wanindu Hasaranga comes into the side. If Kolkata can keep Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers quiet I expect them to set up a clash with the Capitals on Wednesday.
Tips
Back Kolkata Knight Riders to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with William Hill
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021
