RCB vs RR: The 39th fixture of the TATA IPL 2022 will be played between two royal teams. It is a clash between the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The match will start at 7:30 pm at the Maharashtra Cricket Association in Pune. Both teams are contendars of the this season. So it will be an interesting contest between the two.
Faf du Plessis and his tram had a nightmare against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last match. Now the challenge will be to regroup themselves and play better cricket against RR. Rajasthan is in third place, having won five of their seven matches. So they would like to carry on the momentum. So let’s check out the complete match details and possible XI for both teams.
RCB vs RR: Match Preview and Prediction
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Having won five matches out of eight this season, RCB are sitting in the fifth spot with ten points. Still, their qualification criteria for the top four is simple: they need to win three out of the next six matches. But the biggest concern is their NRR. With -0.472 NRR, Bangalore will have to win those matches by a large margin because the last match they had against SRH was a disaster. The whole team was bowled out for 68 and lost the match by 9 wickets with 72 balls to spare.
That must be a wake-up call for the franchise, because other teams are playing better cricket now. The form of opener Anuj Rawat and former skipper Virat Kohli is a big question mark. Kohli has now had two back-to-back golden ducks to his name. He must find the form before it’s too late. RCB will require an in-form Kohli if they want to make it big this season.
Probably XI: Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat/Mahipal Lomror, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (Wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj
Rajasthan Royals
Well, it will not be a wrong statement to say that RR is looking like a one-man army because Jos Buttler is alone enough for any opposition to win a game. That’s what he has done so far. RR is sitting in third place and looking comfortable enough to qualify for the next round. Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson, and Shimron Hetmyer are also scoring runs.
Then the team has got Chahal, Boult, Prasidh, and Ashwin in the bowling department, which is the strongest XI in the competition. That is how they are playing as well. RR has enough match winners. That’s what makes them a strong contender for the title this season. But still, it might not be easy to win against RCB, but they just need three wins from seven matches to qualify. However, they must be looking to make it to the top two.
Probably XI: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (C & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Karun Nair, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy/Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal
RCB vs RR Match, Pitch and Toss Update
The pitch at the Maharashtra Cricket Association is good for pace bowling as it offers swing and bounce at the start. As a result, the pacers from both teams will enjoy bowling on this track. Batsmen can use the bounce to good effect. The average score here is 170. Dew might come into play in the second innings, and it will always be a challenge for the bowlers to hold the grip. Bowling first will be ideal on this pitch. The team winning the toss will go to the field first. However, three of the six matches played here have been won by batting first and three by batting second.
RCB vs RR Head to Head Stats
Both teams have met a total of 26 times in the history of the IPL. But RCB is marginally ahead in terms of wins. So far, Royal Challengers Bangalore have won 13 matches, as compared to PBKS’s 10 wins, and three matches ended with no result. But in the last 5 outings, RCB has won four matches.
IPL 2022: RCB vs RR: Players to watch out for
Jos Buttler is coming off two back-to-back centuries and will want to make it three. And if it happens, there is no chance for RCB. He has already scored 491 runs in seven matches and is the current “Orange Cap” holder.
Yuzvendra Chahal has done what Buttler is doing in the batting department. The veteran leg-spinner is leading the wicket-taker column this season and he was the one that took two matches in the last match he played against his former franchise. He has taken 18 wickets in 7 matches so far.
Faf du Plessis is the best batter in the RCB camp. The veteran batter has scored 255 runs for them in eight matches and given a good start at the top of the order. Against RR, he needs to play another good inning to help his team improve its numbers on the points table.
Harshal Patel is the go-to bowler for RCB in every situation. He can bowl at the start, in the middle, and at the end as well. So far, he has taken nine wickets in seven matches. His role will be very important against RR’s strong batting.
IPL 2022: Predicted 11 team of the match Prediction
Wicket-keeper: Dinesh Karthik (RCB), Sanju Samson (RR), Jos Buttler (RR)
Batsmen: Virat Kohli (RCB), Devdutt Padikkal (RR), Faf du Plessis (RCB)
All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell (RCB), Shahbaz Ahmed (RCB)
Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood (RCB), Yuzvendra Chahal (RR), Obed McCoy (RR)
Tips: Jos Buttler will be the captain of the team. Faf Du Plessis will be the vice-captain. Both teams have a powerhitters in the line-up, but RR has a winning momentum to their side. So we will back RR to win the match. However, the team winning the toss might win the game as well.