The Royal Challengers Bangalore have been poor this season, winning two and losing four matches so far in IPL 2016. They are in desperate need of a win as they prepare to host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday.
KKR, on the other hand, have been decent this season, with four wins from seven games. KKR have looked a much better unit in IPL 2016, as compared to RCB.
RCB are expected to further strengthen their batting lineup as West Indian Chris Gayle is expected to make a return to the team, after he sat out the match against SRH despite arriving back from paternity leave. RCB will need their powerful left-hander to strike big, as he has been poor in the competition so far.
Gayle's inclusion means one of the foreign players – Kane Richardson or Tabraiz Shamsi – has to sit out for the home team. The RCB team management have a tough task in their hand, as both the bowlers have looked decent so far. Eventually it might be based on whether they need a spinner or a seamer.
With Gayle back, KL Rahul, who scored two back-to-back half centuries, should bat at number five.
However, it is their bowling, which has been a major concern. Sreenath Aravind might replace Harshal Patel in the pace department. If the team are keen on adding a quality bowler, they might as well play Chris Jordan, who has come in as Mitchell Starc's replacement. This could mean Gayle has to wait for his return.
KKR are one such team that do not believe in making many changes in their starting eleven. They have a settled side, with players like Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa and Andre Russell as key figures.
However, they might be tempted to strengthen their batting lineup and bring Colin Munro or Chris Lynn in for Brad Hogg, who was unimpressive in their last game. Munro will not only add variety in their bowling, but the New Zealander is also an explosive player with the bat, while Lynn can win matches single-handedly with the willow.
With RCB possessing some of the best batsmen in IPL 2016, KKR could use the experience of Morne Morkel, who can use his height to great advantage against the batsmen. The South African should replace Jason Holder.
Expected playing XI: Royal Challengers Bangalore Virat Kohli ( c ) Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, KL Rahul (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Parvez Rasool, Varun Aaron, Tabraiz Shamsi, S Aravind, Abu Nechim.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (c ), Robin Uthappa (wk), Colin Munro, Suryakumar Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Andre Russell, R Sathish, Piyush Chawla, Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Sunil Narine.
