RCB vs KKR Prediction: Finn Allen to star on the road

Royal Challengers Bengaluru sit top of the Indian Premier League standings following seven wins from their opening 11 assignments and a victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur would virtually secure them a playoff place.

In stark contrast, KKR are only eighth in the 10-team table, but four straight victories following a winless start have renewed hopes of the three-time champions finishing with a flourish to land a top-four berth.

Team News

England batter Phil Salt has returned to India to rejoin the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad following a finger injury but it remains to be seen whether he is fit enough to replace Jacob Bethell as Virat Kohli’s opening partner.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been RCB’s key performer with the ball and is ably supported by Australia’s Josh Hazlewood.

On the back of a four-match winning run, the Knight Riders may be unchanged but they are sweating on the fitness of bowler Varun Chakravarthy, who has taken 10 wickets in his last five games.

Explosive New Zealander Finn Allen and captain Ajinkya Rahane will be looking to inflict the early damage with the bat for KKR.

RCB vs KKR Odds

Table-toppers RCB are 8/11 to make the most of home advantage, with Kolkata Knight Riders 11/10 to maintain their resurgence with a fifth victory on the spin.

Spinners could play a crucial role during the middle overs by exploiting the sluggish nature of the wicket and it may not be a high-scoring clash, with over 366.5 match runs on offer at 5/6.

Finn Allen top Kolkata Knight Riders batter @ 14/5

Allen is one of only four batters to have a 200+ strike rate in this season’s IPL and there is every chance that he can build on his 47-ball century in Friday’s eight-wicket win against Delhi Capitals.

The New Zealand opener is widely regarded as one of the world’s most explosive batsmen and he had 10 sixes in that victory over the Capitals.

Allen is a confidence player who tends to stay hot once he is in the groove and he could cause havoc if Royal Challengers Bangalore are not able to dismiss him early.

Virat Kohli under 33.5 runs @ 5/6

With Salt not sure to be back in action, there is a lot of pressure on the legendary Virat Kohli to lead by example for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

However, Kohli has endured a rare dip in form and registered ducks in his last two matches against Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, two teams that are at the bottom of the standings.

Kohli has not passed 30 runs in any of his last six IPL matches and may struggle to land a telling blow against the in-form Knight Riders.

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