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Updated September 20th, 2021 at 21:22 IST

KKR vs RCB: Three stars make IPL debut in Virat Kohli's 200th match

This game marks the 200th IPL game for Virat Kohli, who had yesterday announced that he will step down as RCB captain after the conclusion of IPL 2021

Reported by: Azhar Mohamed
KKR vs RCB
Image: @IPL/BCCI/Twitter | Image:self
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Match 31 of the IPL 2021 has commenced with Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. This game marks the 200th IPL game for Virat Kohli, who had on Sunday announced that he will be stepping down as RCB's captain after the conclusion of IPL 2021.

Virat Kohli has been a part of the RCB side since the inaugural season and is the first and only play to feature in 200 IPL games for a single franchise. Kohli’s 200th game also sees three players making their IPL debut. RCB have handed maiden caps to Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanidu Hasaranga and Andhra’s wicketkeeper-batsman Srikar Bharat whereas Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer is making his debut for KKR.

 

 

Wanindu Hasaranga has impressed everyone with his exploits for Sri Lanka in the past few years. He has deceived the batters with his cunning googlies and has rightfully earned his spot in the RCB lineup. In 24 T20Is, he has 36 wickets to his name, and the pitch at Abu Dhabi would be ideal for him to make a difference.

Talking about the two uncapped Indians on either side KS Bharat and Venkatesh Iyer, they have performed decently in the domestic circuit to find a place in the playing XI. Bharat handles the wicketkeeping duties for Andhra Pradesh and has been a consistent performer. He has the ability to anchor the innings from one end and is an ideal choice at the No.3 position for RCB. His stats in T20 cricket are not impressive but has the chance to prove himself in the world’s best league. 

On the other hand, Iyer is an explosive batting all-rounder who can also chip in some overs with his bowling. He has scored 526 runs in 39 T20 matches at a good strike rate of 137.6 and has also picked up 21 wickets. It will be exciting to see how the debutants fare out in their first IPL game.

KKR vs RCB Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (C), Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sachin Baby, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Image: @IPL/BCCI/Twitter

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Published September 20th, 2021 at 20:06 IST

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