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At the M Chinnaswamy
Stadium, RCB faced KKR. That’s how it all began in 2008, when the IPL got off
to an incredible start thanks to Brendon McCullum’s unbeaten 158. The two sides
have shared in some of the most memorable and repulsive events in the tournament’s
history over the years.
It was an evening of fights in Bengaluru in 2013. Gautam Gambhir and Moises
Henriques got into a verbal altercation following their collision, with Gambhir
attempting to get a quick single. Rajat Bhatia, a third Delhi boy, had to
forcibly separate Gambhir and Virat Kohli after they engaged in physical combat
later in the game.
After Yusuf Pathan
and Andre Russell led KKR to a thrilling victory three years later at the same
location, Gambhir expressed his emotions by kicking a chair in the dugout. As a
result, he was fined fifteen percent of his match money.
When RCB played the Lucknow Super Giants, who had Gambhir as their mentor, last
season, the rivalry between Kohli and Gambhir was rekindled. Gambhir is back
with KKR this season, playing the same position.
Russell was Russell, there was a 49 all out, and Kuldeep Yadav was left
“feeling totally hopeless” in between. Prepare yourselves for another
intense game on Friday since some of those protagonists will be playing.
Both sides recently
emerged victorious, with KKR defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad and RCB defeating
Punjab Kings. Even though the wins weren’t easy, they will be eager to increase
their self-assurance.
To lengthen their batting, RCB substituted Mahipal Lomror for Karn Sharma.
Lomror’s critical 17 not out off eight balls to assist RCB win the match proved
to be the game-winning move. They are predicted to follow the same strategy,
with Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green filling in for the fifth bowler.
Everyone believed
Sunil Narine’s days as an IPL opener were over when his vulnerability to the
short ball was revealed. However, in KKR’s opening encounter of the season with
Gujarat Titans, he opened the scoring with two runs off just four balls before being
out. Seeing how he performs now that the two-bouncer rule is in effect will be
intriguing.