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The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host the Kolkata Knight Riders at their new home ground, where they just won a crunch game against the Mumbai Indians. KKR assistant coach Shane Watson issues a massive warning to his bowlers as they prepare to take on the legendary Indian batter, Virat Kohli.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with their last win against the Mumbai Indians in a crunch contest at the Raipur stadium, helped them climb to the top of the IPL points table. After the nail-biting contest, they will now host KKR, who have recently been in good form with their winning streak.
KKR made a poor start to the season, with them having just one point after six games in the competition. However, since then, they have won four matches in a row and are now aiming at a spot in the playoffs with nine points in the season after 10 matches and four more to go.
Ex-RCBian suggests what makes Virat Kohli one of the greatest threats for KKR
Kolkata have been fearless as they have defeated some of the tough oppositions like Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Delhi Capitals. Hence, they are not afraid that their next two matches are against two teams who are well in the top 4 position of the IPL 2026 points table.
With their upcoming game scheduled to be played against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at their new home ground, Shane Watson, the KKR assistant coach, suggested that it will be essential for them to dismiss Virat Kohli, the legendary batter, as soon as possible.
The former star, who also shared the dressing room with the Indian great, claimed that it is his insatiable appetite for getting better that makes him an undefeatable player in the IPL.
He said, “Virat Kohli’s insatiable appetite just to be the very, very best every ball and engaged in the game continues to burn so brightly for him. We know we’ve got to be right on from ball one with Virat.”
KKR would pin their hopes on Sunil Narine for restricting Virat Kohli in the powerplay
The Kolkata Knight Riders would have to restrict Virat Kohli, who will walk in to open the innings for the defending champions. However, the only positive for them is that Kohli has failed to be at his best of his form in the last two games for RCB.
KKR have their most lethal weapon in the veteran off-spinner Sunil Narine, who recently completed 200+ wickets in IPL history. Narine has been used in the power play on former occasions by Ajinkya Rahane.
Considering Kohli’s head-to-head record against the KKR veteran, he might be their only ray of hope against the veteran cricketer. Having met across 17 matches since 2012, Kohli has scored 136 runs off 129 balls from Narine, which clearly shows the lack of clarity in the batter’s mind, and Narine has dismissed him four times in his career.
KKR look to extend four-match winning streak in search of a playoff spot
Kolkata have already managed to win their last four matches in this IPL season. They registered their first win against the Rajasthan Royals and, since then, have been undefeated against the likes of Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals.
Having won four matches in a row, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side, despite a poor start, would next be eyeing a spot in the top 4, as an all-win situation can surely take them to a comfortable position with 17 points in the season.
This will be a massive turnaround for the Knights in the history of the IPL, as this game against RCB is their final match away from home, before they head back to the Eden Gardens for the last three.
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