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Today at the exciting turn of IPL 2026, there is going to be a big match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). This match will start at 7:30 pm at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur. Today is a very special day for the defending champion RCB, who is ranked second in the points table, because victory in this match will take them very close to the playoffs. On the other hand, KKR has made a great comeback after the initial defeat and is also desperate to make it to the top-4.

Nature of Raipur pitch: Difficulty for batsmen will increase

The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium pitch can behave quite differently from flat pitches at other grounds. This pitch prepared from black soil is considered to be balanced, which will prove helpful for the bowlers. In this season, where there is a shower of runs everywhere, in Raipur the batsmen may have to struggle hard for runs. Spinners and medium pacers are expected to get good grip and bounce here.

Weather condition: Will rain cause disturbance?

The good news for the cricket lovers of Raipur is that the chance of rain during the match is 0%. Although there was some rain during the practice sessions at the beginning of the week, but now the sky is completely clear. The night temperature is expected to be around 27 degrees Celsius. Light dew may fall during the second innings, which may provide some challenge to the bowling team later.

Head-to-head statistics: who has the upper hand?

Whenever RCB and KKR have faced each other in IPL history, the contest has been tough. A total of 36 matches have been played between the two teams so far. Of these, KKR has won 20 matches, while RCB has been successful in winning 15 times. One match remained inconclusive. However, looking at the current form, RCB is in a strong position with 14 points, but KKR’s four consecutive wins have created fear in the opposition camp.

Probable playing XI of both the teams

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (captain), Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyyash Sharma. (Impact Player: Rasik Salam Dar/Venkatesh Iyer)

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicketkeeper), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora. (Impact Player: Varun Chakraborty/Navdeep Saini)