IPL 2024, KKR Vs RCB Strategic Corner - Spin To Win Vs Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis

Kohli and Faf tend to struggle against spin [AP]Kohli and Faf tend to struggle against spin [AP]

A confident Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side will take on the stuttering Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in match number 36 of the IPL.

It has been a tournament to forget for the RCB unit, having won only a solitary game and losing 6 matches. The famed batting unit of the Bengaluru side has failed to deliver, and apart from Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik, the batting looks bleak.

In their last match, the RCB bowling unit conceded record 287 runs against SRH, which was the highest team total in the history of IPL. The Faf du Plessis led team needs to re-group and needs to win every game from here on to stay alive in the competition.

Spin continues to haunt Kohli, Faf

One problem that has constantly haunted RCB is their inability to hit the spinners at will. As good a player as Kohli and Faf du Plessis are, they tend to struggle when the spinners come into the attack.

Captains tend to promote spinners in the power-play when Kohli and Faf bat, and it was evident during the LSG-RCB clash, when KL Rahul asked M Siddharth to get Kohli's wicket, and he did exactly that.

The only player who can counter spin really well in this RCB batting lineup is Glenn Maxwell, but even he is ruled out of the upcoming contest against KKR. 

Narine, Chakravarthy hold the key

The last time these two teams played at the Eden Gardens, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine ate RCB batters for breakfast and took 6 wickets between them and only conceded 31 runs in 8 overs.

The mantra against RCB will once again be the same. Bring in Narine and Chakravarthy to counter the threat of Kohli and Faf du Plessis. Moreover, KKR also have the luxury to bring in Suyash Sharma, to spin the web around the two batters.

Sunil Narine's record vs Faf and Kohli

Narine Vs
Runs
Balls
Wickets
Strike-Rate
Virat Kohli1271184107.6
Faf du Plessis5367279.1

Varun Chakravarthy's record vs Faf and Kohli

Chakravarthy Vs
Runs
Balls
Wickets
Strike-Rate
Virat Kohli40391102.6
Faf du Plessis42301140

The two spinners clearly have an edge when it comes to the RCB openers. KKR captain Shreyas Iyer and mentor Gautam Gambhir will know about it and won't shy away from introducing spin inside the power-play.