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IPL 2026: Great battle between RCB and KKR in Raipur, from pitch report to head-to-head statistics

Samira Vishwas | May 14, 2026 10:24 AM CST

The excitement of IPL 2026 is at its peak and now it is the turn of a clash which cricket fans eagerly wait for. The teams of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face each other today at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur. On one side is the aggressive RCB captained by Virat Kohli, and on the other side is the balanced army of defending champion KKR. Let us know every small and big update to this match.

Head-to-head record: Who has the upper hand?

Whenever these two teams collide in IPL history, sparks fly on the field. Talking about statistics, Kolkata Knight Riders seem to have the upper hand. In the matches played so far, KKR has registered more wins against RCB. However, Bengaluru made a great comeback last season. Both the teams will challenge each other for the first time on the ground of Raipur, which has made the match even more exciting.

Raipur pitch report: Batsmen’s fun or bowlers’ brilliance?

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium of Raipur is known for its big boundary and balanced pitch.

Opening overs: With the new ball, fast bowlers can get light swing here.
Middle overs: As the match progresses, the role of spinners will become important as the pitch may become a bit slow.
Batting: Due to the long boundary, the batsmen will have to focus more on scoring runs, hitting sixes is a bit difficult here compared to other grounds. The team winning the toss may prefer to bowl first as dew can prove to be a big factor in the second innings.

Weather patterns: Will rain spoil the game?

The weather is expected to be clear in Raipur today. However, humidity may increase in the evening which will increase the fatigue of the players. There is little chance of rain, so fans will get to see the full 40 overs game.

Probable XI

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Virat Kohli (captain), Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Karn Sharma.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Shreyas Iyer (captain), Phil Salt (wicketkeeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Suyyash Sharma.