Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2024 prediction: Match win, Dream11 and toss

• Match Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders to win
• Toss prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders to win the toss and bat first

Here is our KKR vs RCB prediction for the 36th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 between Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They will lock horns in this return fixture at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday, April 21.

Read on for our detailed KKR vs RCB predictions ahead of this match.

• Date and time: April 21, 3:30 PM IST
• Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Sunil Narine becomes first IPL player with 100 wickets to score a century

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru match preview

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders are sitting in the top four on the table with eight points and a net run-rate of 1.399. They have won four of their six games so far while losing two. They suffered their second loss in the most recent game versus Rajasthan Royals by two wickets. 

Batting first, Sunil Narine played an incredible knock of 109 in just 56 deliveries. Cameos from Angkrish Raghuvanshi (30 off 18) and Rinku Singh (20* off 9) helped them post 223 on the board. Narine then bagged 2 for 30 in four overs while Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana also picked two scalps each. KKR had the control until the last few overs, where Jos Buttler blew them away. 

KKR possible XI: Phil Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had a disastrous IPL 2024, languishing at the bottom of the table with two points and a negative net run-rate of -1.185. They have won only one out of seven games so far and need to win all the remaining games. 

They are coming off a 25-run defeat versus Sunrisers Hyderabad at Bengaluru, where they conceded 287 – the highest total in IPL history. Chasing the target, openers added 80 in 6.1 overs before they lost a few wickets. Dinesh Karthik then hammered 83 off just 35 from a hopeless situation but the target proved to be too much. 

RCB possible XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, Reece Topley 

Pitch and expected weather conditions

Eden Gardens in Kolkata has been superb for batting in T20 cricket in recent memory. Seamers do not get any assistance here but spinners have found some help in the last couple of games. The average batting first score here in the last 10 IPL games reads 194. 

The weather in Kolkata is likely to be very hot and hazy on Sunday afternoon. Rain will not be an issue but the excessive heat could affect the players. The temperature is expected to hover between 36-42 degree Celsius during the match time.

KKR vs RCB Dream11 prediction

Our KKR vs RCB Dream11 prediction for this match

• Wicketkeeper(s): Phil Salt, Dinesh Karthik 
• Batter(s): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 
• All-rounder(s): Will Jacks, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine 
• Bowler(s): Varun Chakravarthy, Reece Topley, Harshit Rana 
• Recommended captain: Sunil Narine 
• Recommended vice-captain: Virat Kohli 

In this part of the KKR vs RCB match prediction, we talk about the reasoning behind this XI for the Dream11 contest. Eden Gardens is a high-scoring venue so it makes sense to pack your side with batters. 

We have picked both wicket-keepers in play. Phil Salt has done well at the KKR top order while Dinesh Karthik has been one of the better performers in the RCB side. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis are must picks. Angkrish Raghuvanshi has been given the regular number three spot and he has been impressive. 

Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are must picks for their form and all-round skill set. Will Jacks is a tricky pick as he hasn't fired yet but his all-round value could come in handy. Among bowlers, we have picked Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana and Reece Topley. 

As for C & VC, we have opted for the two most popular options for this game, Sunil Narine and Virat Kohli. Both players have been in tremendous form and you can back them. 

Match prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders to win

The head to head record is in favour of Kolkata Knight Riders, who have won 18 games compared to 14 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. KKR have won four of the last five encounters between the two sides. KKR have an in-form batting unit with the likes of Sunil Narine, Phil Salt, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh and Andre Russell. They also have a potent spin duo in Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. Our match prediction is for Kolkata Knight Riders to win. 

Toss prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders to win the toss and bat first

Eden Gardens has generally favoured the team batting second with flat pitches and dew making it easier to chase. But this is an afternoon fixture so there will be no dew factor. Teams might also want to not field in the afternoon given the amount of heat players will have to deal with. Our toss prediction is that Kolkata Knight Riders will win the toss and opt to bat first. 

Man of the match prediction: Sunil Narine 

Sunil Narine is batting like he has never before, trying to get through the tricky phase of an innings if needed and not throwing his wicket away. He scored a terrific century in the last game versus Rajasthan Royals, who have one of the best bowling attacks in the tournament. Narine has scored 276 runs from six games at an average of 46 while striking at 188. He has also picked seven wickets at an economy of 6.87. 

Betting Odds

• Kolkata Knight Riders: 1.68 (PARIMATCH)
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 2.08 (PARIMATCH)

As per the bookmakers, Kolkata Knight Riders are favourites heading into this game. KKR have 1.68 odds of winning this match whereas RCB have a bigger challenge with higher odds of 2.08.