RCB vs KKR, IPL 2021 Highlights: Morgan, Shakib take Kolkata to four-wicket win, Bangalore knocked out

Shakib Al Hasan: “Everyone in the side is pretty relaxed. The second phase has been tremendous for KKR. We have done well to get here and we are looking forward to the Eliminator today. We have played some fearless cricket and it's something we admire, that is what we wanted to achieve in this second phase and we are happy with that. From the start of the second phase (UAE leg) every game has been pretty much like a knockout. Today is another day, and everyone is up for the challenge. The wicket seems a little slower as compared to the other two venues. The bowlers will get a little more help, but predicting the wicket is not what we are looking to do. I was playing a lot of cricket during the break, so it wasn't much difficult for me to adjust.”

The toss between Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore and Eoin Morgan's Kolkata Knight Riders is upcoming. Are you ready?

50: This could be the 50th IPL match for Mohammed Siraj

• 4/4: KKR have won all of their 4 matches while chasing in UAE leg of IPL 2021.

• 2018: The last time KKR won 3 back to back matches was in 2018.

o It has been 43 matches for KKR since then.

o They have won their last 2 matches.

• 3/3: KKR have played 6 matches at Sharjah in IPL with 3 wins and 3 defeats.

• 5/8: RCB have won 5 out of 8 matches against KKR at neutral venues in IPL (excluding Kolkata & Bengaluru).

• 53.85: KKR have the 2nd best win% in UAE in IPL with 14 wins from 26 matches.

• 1: KKR became the first team to qualify for playoffs twice in IPL after losing 5 in first 7 matches.

o They qualified in 2014 as well after losing 5 in first 7.

• 50%: KKR have won 4 and lost 4 in playoff matches of IPL.

• 1: This will be the first time RCB and KKR will encounter in a playoff match in IPL.

• 1000: Eoin Morgan is 14 runs away from completing 1,000 runs for KKR in IPL.

• 1000: Venkatesh Iyer is 37 runs away from completing 1000 runs across T20s.

• 50: Eoin Morgan is 4 sixes away from completing 50 sixes for KKR in IPL.

• 200: Dinesh Karthik is 8 sixes away from completing 200 sixes across T20s.

• 200: Dinesh Karthik is 7 catches away from completing 200 catches across T20s.

• 50: Dinesh Karthik is 9 dismissals as wicketkeeper away from completing 50 dismissals for KKR in IPL.

• 50: Dinesh Karthik is 10 sixes away from completing 50 sixes for KKR in IPL.

• 150: Karthik is 3 dismissals away from completing 150 dismissals as a wicketkeeper in IPL.

• 50: Harbhajan Singh is 1 catch away from completing 50 catches in IPL.

• 50: Rahul Tripathi is 3 sixes away from completing 50 sixes in IPL.

• 50: Shubman Gill is 3 sixes away from completing 50 sixes across T20s.

• 1000: Sunil Narine is 74 runs away from completing 1,000 runs in IPL.

• 100: Pawan Negi is 4 wickets away from completing 100 wickets across T20s.

• 50: Prasidh Krishna is 5 wickets away from completing 50 wickets across T20s.

• 150: Andre Russell is 7 sixes away from completing 150 sixes in IPL.

• 2: AB de Villiers need 2 more sixes become the highest six-hitter for RCB in the IPL by surpassing Chris Gayle ‘s

tally of 239.

• 1000: Srikar Bharat is 88 runs away from completing 1000 runs across T20s.

• 1: George Garton & Navdeep Saini are both 1 wicket away from completing 50 wickets across T20s.

• 1: Mohammed Siraj is 1 wicket away from completing 100 wickets across T20s.

• 2: Mohammed Siraj is 2 wickets away from completing 50 wickets in IPL.

“Naturally, the intensity goes up when everything is on the line, you think back to when we started the IPL to now – we’ve put in a lot of effort, so it is natural for the juices to start flowing a bit more. Skillset stays the same, my game plan won’t change much, and I think the cricket that we are trying to play will not change much. There will definitely be more to lose for everyone out there - I mean, you lose, you’re going home. You think back on all the effort you have put, you don’t want that to happen. And it’s all on the line, body on the line and stuff, he (Virat Kohli) will be full of adrenaline, as always. And he will be making sure we all are in the fifth gear once the eliminator starts.”

— RCB's AB de Villiers on Star Sports

“We have a lot of confidence on our team, if not the top two spot (on the points table), then we will have to win two more matches to reach the Final, and we are fully prepared for that. You prepare for all kinds of possibilities, and the way I see it, Qualifiers and Eliminators are just terms that exist to create more pressure for these matches. When you play cricket, you either win or lose, so when you think you have two options (winning or losing), then that mindset can possibly turn into a negative one. Our focus is to go out, execute our plans and win games. When your only option is winning, and losing is not an option, then your performance reaches another level and I feel our team is in the right space to execute our plans.”

— Virat Kohli on Star Sports

Total: 28

RCB: 13

KKR: 15

- This will be the first instance of RCB playing KKR in IPL knockouts/playoffs.

- Narine has played nine playoff matches and has struggled at the business end of the tournament. He's picked just four wickets and has an average of 8.60 with the bat in hand.

(Source: Cricbuzz)

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad: Virat Kohli(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat(w), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, Shahbaz Ahmed, George Garton, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kyle Jamieson, Navdeep Saini, Tim David, Dushmantha Chameera, Sachin Baby, Pavan Deshpande, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Wanindu Hasaranga, Suyash Prabhudessai, Akash Deep

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Tim Southee, Harbhajan Singh, Andre Russell, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Pawan Negi, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sheldon Jackson, Sandeep Warrier, Tim Seifert, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Vaibhav Arora

You know there may be a key change in RCB's line-up today!

Our RCB's Predicted XI vs KKR:  Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, George Garton, Dan Christian, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Want to make final changes to your Dream XI and MyCircle11 teams? We may help you.

Our KKR's Predicted XI vs RCB: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi

Hello and welcome to our live blog on IPL 2021 Eliminator match between Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders. Both the teams have had a tough road over the years - but can they book a spot in the final?