RCB face red-hot Royals in bid to maintain playoff hopes alive

May 14, 2023 at 8:33 AM
RCB face red-hot Royals in bid to maintain playoff hopes alive

Big image: Competition heats up

Only two factors separate Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and with the round-robin stage at its enterprise finish, they are going to be cautious of not tightening issues additional. Royal Challengers are amongst two groups locked on 10 factors.

While being positioned seventh and having the higher NRR can nonetheless give them hope of a top-four end, Royal Challengers journey to Jaipur following back-to-back defeats in Delhi and Mumbai, the place the opposition chased down 182 and 200 respectively, with ease.

Their bowlers have conceded 180-plus 4 occasions of their final 5 video games, twice every on both aspect of a exceptional protection of 126. That win over Lucknow Super Giants stays their solely victory of their final 4 matches, and they are going to be cautious of a Royals aspect which thumped Kolkata Knight Riders to reignite their very own marketing campaign.

Three defeats in a row appeared to have taken the juice out of what had began as a near-perfect season for Royals. Two of these losses got here in an unsuccessful protection of 212 and 214 within the ultimate over – sandwiched between a batting collapse of 118 – earlier than Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yuzvendra Chahal introduced Royals again on observe.

But regardless of that inconsistency, it isn’t too late for each Royals and Royal Challengers to stay in competition for the playoffs. Maybe Royal Challengers can take coronary heart from having beaten Royals by seven runs earlier this season; and if that occurs on the Sawai Mansingh Stadium too, then it may quickly turn into a Royal battle for the playoffs.

Recent outcomes

Rajasthan Royals WLLLW (Last 5 accomplished matches; most up-to-date first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore LLWLW

Team news

Both groups have all gamers obtainable for choice.

The massive query

R Ashwin has bought Virat Kohli solely as soon as in T20s, however Kohli has struggled towards spin this season. Who will come out on high in the event that they face-off once more?

3.9K votes

Impact Player technique

Royals dropped Obed McCoy for his or her final recreation after utilizing him as Impact Sub towards Sunrisers Hyderabad. If he’s not noted once more, Royals would possibly swap both of Jaiswal or Dhruv Jurel with KM Asif relying on whether or not they’re batting or bowling first.

RR possible XII: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Devdutt Padikkal, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Dhruv Jurel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 KM Asif

Kedar Jadhav had changed Mahipal Lomror as Impact Sub for Royal Challengers towards Mumbai Indians, although it did not work out as meant. So in the event that they bat first towards Royals, they may begin with Jadhav, and usher in both Mohammed Siraj or Harshal Patel after they bowl. And it may go the opposite approach spherical in the event that they occur to chase.

RCB possible XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Glenn Maxwell, 4 Mahipal Lomror, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Anuj Rawat/Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Kedar Jadhav, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Vyshak Vijaykumar, 11 Josh Hazlewood, 12 Mohammed Siraj

Stats that matter

  • It may very well be attention-grabbing to see which opening pair trumps the opposite in Jaipur. Among these with a minimal of eight first-wicket stands and a complete of 200 runs added this season, Royals’ Jaiswal and Jos Buttler have the most effective run price of 10.03, whereas Royal Challengers’ Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis have essentially the most runs with 650.

  • However, there may a twist within the story. Royal Challengers have essentially the most wickets within the powerplay this season (25), and the most effective common. Nine of these wickets have gone to Mohammed Siraj, who’s third on the wicket-takers’ checklist throughout that part solely on account of a barely worse common of 18.22 than Royals’ Trent Boult, who’s second with 18.11. Also, Boult has the second-most wickets within the first over of a recreation in IPL historical past.

  • Chahal, with the second-most wickets (21) up to now this season, holds a transparent benefit over du Plessis, the best run-getter (576). Royal Challengers’ captain has managed solely 34 runs from 40 balls towards Royals’ legspinner, whereas being dismissed twice. But each Chahal and R Ashwin is perhaps cautious of Glenn Maxwell, who strikes at 173 and 200 respectively, towards them.

  • The final time Royal Challengers beat Royals in Jaipur was in 2012, when Kohli and Harshal Patel had been a part of the successful aspect.

    • Pitch and situations

    Jaipur has hosted 4 matches this season, and the scores batting first within the final three of these have swung from 202 to 118 to 214. All 4 video games began at 7.30pm native time, with the aspect batting first in addition to chasing successful twice every. However, the Royal Challengers match would be the first this season to start at 3.30pm. And amongst all Indian grounds to have hosted at the very least 15 IPL matches beginning at both 3.30 or 4pm, Jaipur has the bottom run price of seven.92.

    Meanwhile, the temperature in Jaipur is anticipated to hover round 40 levels Celsius within the afternoon, although it’d fall as night attracts nearer.

    Himanshu Agrawal is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo