Royal Challengers Bangalore wins the toss and opts to field

MUMBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to bowl first in their IPL 2022 match against Kolkata Knight Riders here at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. With an unexpected start to the campaign where the Challengers had to bite the dust as Punjab Kings edged past them in a high-octane thriller, Faf and company will be raring to get back to winning ways as they take on the Knights for their second fray of the tournament.

However, KKR had a fine start to their campaign as they schooled the defending champions comprehensively, thanks to an all-round display from their players that left the Super Kings teetering with the bat while their batters scorched the Chennai bowlers with an incredible display of aggression. This will be the second game for the Challengers at the DY Patil Stadium in the current edition while the first one for the Knights.

At the time of toss, Faf du Plessis said: "We are gonna bowl. The pitch looks similar but it feels a little bit tacky. A lot of positives, the first 3-4 overs were challenging, the way we batted through. From bowling perspective, you are expected not to get everything perfect. Same XI. Nice to start the tournament like that, hopefully I can do that again."

Kolkata captain Shreyas Iyer said: "I would have loved to bowl as well. Dew plays a massive role. The bowlers did an amazing job, made it easy for the batsmen. Now it's going to be a test for us to come in and bat and see to it that we get a good total. It's just a work of execution. Tim Southee is coming in for Shubham Mavi. That's the only change we are making." Royal Challengers Bangalore

(Playing XI): Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik(w), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj.

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer(c), Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy.