"rcb"

Padikkal smashed an unbeaten 101 off 52 balls in an opening stand of 181 with Kohli as RCB registered an emphatic 10-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals

The perfect start has helped them reach eight points and their dominant win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) has also given a boost to their net run rate (NRR), which has gone from +0.750

Maxwell who had a torrid time with the bat in the last few seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has managed to change his fortunes in the ongoing season as he has registered 176 runs in three matches.

Both sides have endured contrasting campaigns so far

Batting first, De Villiers' master class and Maxwell's counter-attacking half-century propelled RCB to an imposing 204 for four

In the battle between the world's two best white-ball captains, Eoin Morgan and Virat Kohli, the Bengaluru franchise will hold a slight edge over Kolkata

But in the IPL 2021 opener, the batsman managed to change his fortunes as he played a knock of 39 runs, including two sixes. RCB defeated Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a thrilling encounter on Friday

Staying true to his style, this IPL he has taken a unique approach to speak up a cause that Rohit has long supported - the conservation of the Great One-Horned Rhinoceros or the Indian Rhino.

The feeling in the camp is absolutely electric and upbeat. It is the start of the new season, we all know that. The guys are very excited to get going. We've got some new faces in the squad as well which is exciting.

Before the start of the tournament, Kohli had said that he will open the innings for the RCB. He opened for India in the last T20I against England and played an unbeaten knock of 80 off 52 balls at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Maxwell’s inclusion adds fire-power to the Bengaluru franchise

Chahal is in Australia for the upcoming ODIs and T20s scheduled to begin from November 27.

Having reached the playoffs on the back of four consecutive losses, thanks Delhi Capitals, who helped them with net run rate, RCB, failed to escape their fortunes.

"It is very important for the captain to have a good team. So, I believe the management should not try and think of changing their captain and rather think of how they can improve this team," Sehwag said.

According to sources, the Indian captain moved into the bubble created for the players picked for the Australia series after the game against SRH

Gambhir made it clear that Kohli's name as a leader shouldn't be taken alongside the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who are IPL's most successful captains

Kane Williamson smashed his 14th IPL half-century while Jason Holder played a cautious knock as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) kept their finals hope alive after defeating RCB by six-wicket in the Eliminator

Holder first led SRH's brilliant bowling effort with figures of 3 for 25 to restrict batting-heavy RCB to a modest 131 for seven before he and Williamson steered SRH past the target with two balls to spare

RCB slumped to their fourth defeat on the trot after losing to Delhi Capitals by six wickets on Monday but still made the cut, courtesy their net run rate

While DC went straight to Qualifier 1, RCB made the playoffs after their opponents took more than 17.3 overs to complete the task