Cummins's battle with Maxwell, AB to dominate show

Source From: IANS 2021-05-02 14:20:26

The well-oiled and batting-heavy Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will take on a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday night.

RCB, who sit pretty with 10 points from five wins in seven games, have however been struggling in recent games. They have lost two out of their last three matches, the latest against Punjab Kings by 34 runs on Friday night.

KKR, on the other hand, have won just two out of their seven matches and have odds stacked heavily against them.

The first match between the two sides this season was won convincingly by a margin of 38 runs by the Virat Kohli-led side.

The key battle to watch out for in the match will be between KKR's Australia pace bowler Pat Cummins and the RCB batting geniuses AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell.

Both AB and Maxwell fell cheaply in their last match, to Punjab Kings left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar. It was a rare failure for the two, who have carried RCB ahead with their power-hitting.

The Kolkata franchise may look to save Cummins's overs for the back-end as Maxwell bats at No. 4 and AB comes in at No. 5.