KKR vs RCB: Skipper Shreyas drops Shubham Mavi to include this star pacer, here are the playing XIs of both teams

Loaded with confidence after opening their IPL 2022 with a sensational win, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) take on dented Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as Faf Du Plessis-led side won the toss and have opted to bowl first.

While RCB are up with the same playing XI, KKR's captain Shreyas dropped Shubham Mavi to bring in New Zealand's star bowler Tim Southee.

"We are gonna bowl. The pitch looks similar but it feels a little bit tacky. A lot of positives, the first 3-4 overs were challenging, the way we batted through. From bowling perspective, you are expected not to get everything perfect. Same XI. Nice to start the tournament like that, hopefully I can do that again," RCB skipper Faf Du Plessis said before the match.

"I would have loved to bowl as well. Dew plays a massive role. The bowlers did an amazing job, made it easy for the batsmen. Now it's going to be a test for us to come in and bat and see to it that we get a good total. It's just a work of execution. Tim Southee is coming in for Mavi. That's the only change we are making," KKR captain Shreyas Iyer said.

Meanwhile, in the lung-opener of IPL 2022, KKR romped the defending champions CSK by 6 wickets and avenged their 2021 final loss against the same team.

Meanwhile, Faf Du Plessis-led side went down to Punjab Kings in a scoring thriller where they lost the match by five wickets despite posting a humungous total of 205.

Head-to-Head

Kolkata Knight Riders have a slight edge over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the head-to-head record between the two sides. KKR have won 16 times in 29 meetings between the two teams so far in the history of IPL.

Pitch report

“The wicket looks a lot drier than the first game, not as much live grass on the surface. I still feel it’s going to be a good wicket. The boundary size isn’t that big, straight is pretty small. If Kolkata can get a good base upfront and Andre Russell can come in, he is definitely going to clear and hit some big sixes here. I’ll definitely bowl first. It does get wet here, quite tricky to control,” said former South Africa pacer Morne Morkel.

Royal Challengers Bangalore's Playing XI

Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.

Kolkata Knight Riders' Playing XI

Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer(c), Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.