IPL 2021 Eliminator, match prediction: Who will win Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders tie?

IPL 2021 playoffs round started with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) facing the tournament-favourites Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Sunday evening (October 10). MS Dhoni-led CSK beat DC for the first time in this season, on their third attempt, to enter the final as the action now moves to the Eliminator, where Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Sharjah.

For the unversed, KKR and RCB have contrasting runs in this season. While RCB started off on a bright note in the first leg, in India, they took some time to get going in the second and final leg but managed to seal the playoffs spot with two games to spare. They finally ended third, with 18 points, courtesy their last-ball win over DC in the last league stage encounter. 

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On the other hand, the two-time winners KKR had a horrible run in the first leg in India, winning just two out of the seven encounters. In the UAE leg, KKR have turned things around emphatically courtesy their spinners and attacking style of play by their Indian youngsters, at the top, as they ended at the fourth spot with an easy win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their last fixture. 

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Match prediction: Both KKR and RCB have won a game each versus each other in the two face-offs this season. While RCB drew first blood, KKR came back in style with a resounding win in the last face-off. The track at Sharjah will once again test both the sides, which offers a lot of bounce and keeps the batters on their toes. However, while KKR will resort to their six-hitting abilities at the venue, RCB will go ahead with their steady approach before setting the stage for Glenn Maxwell & Co. A 155-160-plus score is gettable at Sharjah and can be a tough total to chase, being a knockout encounter. However, chasing has been preferred at this venue in 2021 with majority of results favouring the team batting second.

In head-to-head, not much separate both sides as KKR lead RCB 15-13. In the number of games played at Sharjah by both sides this season, RCB have a 1-1 record whereas Kolkata have won both their games at this venue. Favourites KKR?