Kolkata Knight Riders Opt to Field First Against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2024 Clash
In a highly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 encounter, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to field first against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 29.
Iyer explained his decision, stating that the team had been preparing well and wanted to carry forward their momentum. He also revealed that Ankul Roy would be the only change in their lineup.
RCB captain Faf du Plessis expressed his disappointment at not being able to bat first, but acknowledged the support of the home crowd. He confirmed that their team would remain unchanged.
The teams took to the field with the following lineups:
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
* Faf du Plessis (capt)
* Virat Kohli
* Rajat Patidar
* Glenn Maxwell
* Cameron Green
* Dinesh Karthik
* Anuj Rawat (wk)
* Alzarri Joseph
* MJ Dagar
* Mohammed Siraj
* Yash Dayal
Kolkata Knight Riders:
* Phil Salt (wk)
* Venkatesh Iyer
* Shreyas Iyer (capt)
* Rinku Singh
* Sunil Narine
* Andre Russell
* Ramandeep Singh
* Mitchell Starc
* AS Roy
* Harshit Rana
* CV Varun
The match commenced with RCB openers Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli facing the KKR bowlers. The duo provided a solid start, putting on a 50-run partnership before du Plessis was dismissed by Mitchell Starc.
Kohli continued to anchor the innings, scoring a half-century, while Rajat Patidar and Glenn Maxwell made valuable contributions. However, the KKR bowlers managed to restrict RCB to a total of 165/6 in their allotted 20 overs.
In response, KKR’s openers Phil Salt and Venkatesh Iyer got off to a flying start, putting on a 60-run partnership. However, RCB’s bowlers fought back, with Mohammed Siraj and Alzarri Joseph picking up key wickets.
Shreyas Iyer and Andre Russell attempted to revive the chase, but they were unable to sustain the momentum. KKR eventually fell short of the target, losing by 23 runs.
