RCB vs RR: Rajasthan Royals were defeated by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the previous match. Start slowly, recover, build momentum, lose a few games, and then claw your way back into the playoffs.
Over the last few years, both the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Rajasthan Royals have followed a loose trend.
Being among the early pace-setters is a unique position to be in that regard. The Royals are currently in a little stronger position, having won impressively against Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals to move into third place on the points table with five wins in seven games.
The Royal Challengers will be relieved that their annual mid-season thrashing is over. They are currently in fifth place, with five wins in eight games, after a forgettable 68 all out against Sunrisers Hyderabad two nights ago.
Royal Challengers Bangalore survived a middle-order slump to chase down 170 in the first match three weeks ago.
The Royals will be anxious to get one back, and given their current form, you wouldn’t bet against them doing so. The match pits important Royals players against their previous side for the second time.
With bat and ball, Devdutt Padikkal and Yuzvendra Chahal have been crucial.
Anuj Rawat, a former Royals player, on the other hand, hasn’t exactly lit up the hitting charts for his new squad and is at risk of losing his spot.
Full squad Detail
RCB: Faf du Plessis (Captain), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudessai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar, Siddharth Kaul.
RR: Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (Captain), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed Mccoy, Arunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, Daryl Mitchell, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Andrew Tye, James Neesham.
Playing 11 RCB and RR
RCB: 1 Faf du Plessis (Captain), 2 Anuj Rawat / Mahipal Lomror, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Suyansh Prabhudesai, 6 Shahabaz Ahmed, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Mohammed Siraj.
RR: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Sanju Samson (Captain / WK), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Riyan Parag, 6 Karun Nair, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Obed McCoy / James Neesham, 9 Prasidh Krishna, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.
Pitch Report RCB vs RR
Royal Challengers Bangalore survived a middle-order slump to chase down 170 in the first match three weeks ago.
The Royals will be anxious to get one back, and given their current form, you would not bet against them doing so. The match pits important Royals players against their previous side for the second time.
With bat and ball, Devdutt Padikkal and Yuzvendra Chahal have been crucial.
Anuj Rawat, a former Royals player, on the other hand, hasn’t exactly lit up the hitting charts for his new squad and is at risk of losing his spot.
Kartik Strategy
Royal Challengers have employed Karthik as a finisher when the top order has failed to deliver.
However, he has a poor record against Chahal, who has removed him three times in nine innings, with Karthik hitting at a strike rate of only 83.
This isn’t to say Karthik can’t beat Chahal, but if Chahal is held back for at least an over at the end against a man who is still trying to make a case to be India’s finisher in the T20 World Cup later this year, it might be a compelling duel.
Conclusion: RR is way ahead of RCB will win today’s match
