Raipur, May 14: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the toss and chose to bowl first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 57th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday. The toss was delayed until 8:30 PM due to heavy rain, with the match set to start at 8:45 PM. Despite the downpour, officials confirmed that there would be no reduction in overs.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar stated, “We will bowl first. I believe the wicket will behave similarly to the one we played on last time. We aim to put them under pressure. The confidence in our team is high, and every match is crucial. We are focusing on playing good cricket. Venkatesh Iyer has replaced Shephard in the squad.”
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane remarked, “Our last four matches have gone well. We need to focus on one game at a time. Varun is out for this match, and Saurabh has come in.”
The toss and match were delayed due to continuous rain and a wet outfield. After 30 minutes of rain at 4:30 PM, the entire ground was covered. Light rain resumed around 6:15 PM, and as the super soppers worked, the field was covered again. By 6:35 PM, the rain intensified, accompanied by lightning.
However, conditions improved slightly just five minutes before the scheduled toss. On-field umpires Rohan Pandit and Nitin Menon, along with fourth umpire Kaushik Gandhi, inspected the field while staff carefully removed water covers. Lightning delays extended the wait, leading to a revised schedule for the pitch inspection.
The Raipur pitch has not been easy for batting. Bowlers are expected to take advantage of the conditions, especially with the moisture from the rain playing a significant role.
RCB aims to secure the top spot in the points table with a win in this match. Currently, they are in second place with seven wins out of eleven matches. KKR, on the other hand, is in eighth place after losing five out of ten matches. A victory for RCB would give them 16 points, solidifying their playoff chances.
KKR’s playing eleven: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Ankurish Raghuwanshi (wicketkeeper), Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi.
RCB’s playing eleven: Jacob Bethel, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (captain), Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood.
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