'Don't understand why it is called a rivalry': Ex-RCB wicketkeeper on Bangalore's clash against KKR in IPL 2022
The former Indian wicketkeeper spoke on the upcoming game in the IPL 2022 between RCB and KKR.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) meet Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their second game of the 2022 Indian Premier League on Wednesday. The RCB began their campaign with a tough defeat to Punjab Kings despite putting a mammoth total of 205/2 on the board, as the Mayank Agarwal-led side chased down the target with an over to spare. Shreyas Iyer's KKR, meanwhile, defeated the defending champions Chennai Super Kings to kickstart their IPL campaign on a high.
Both, RCB and KKR have had a fair share of exciting contests over the past few years. 14 years ago, the two sides met in the opening clash of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League in a blockbuster start to the league, where Knight Riders' Brendon McCullum smashed an incredible 158 off just 73 deliveries, eventually aiding the side to a 140-run win. Since then, RCB and KKR have met on 29 occasions with the latter winning 16 games.
However, former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel, who has played for the RCB in the past, believes that it is not a rivalry and that Kolkata are “way ahead” of Bangalore.
“I don't understand why it is called a rivalry. Rivalry is when there's a similarity in the number of games both teams have won. Here, Kolkata is way ahead of Bangalore, they have won a lot more games,” said Parthiv on Cricbuzz.
The former Indian wicketkeeper-batter further stated that he is looking forward to the approach by both captains. While RCB's Faf du Plessis comes into the game with an opening game loss, KKR's momentum will be sky-high after the win over Ravindra Jadeja's CSK.
“But yes, the teams have changed. The names may be the same but the players have changed, both sides now have a new captain, the coaches have changed so the style of play will be different as well. More than the rivalry, the playing style will be important. The way both Kolkata and RCB start, it will be interesting to see how both captains lead their respective sides,” said Parthiv.
