Rajasthan Royals will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the upcoming encounter in the IPL, set to take place on 13th April at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
Match Preview:
Rajasthan Royals have faced a mix of results so far in the ongoing ten-team tournament. They lost their last game and now playing at home they would try to gain the winning momentum.
As of now, the Royals did not appear to be a formidable force. The Sanju Samson led side looked short of firepower both in batting and bowling.
In batting, the side is relying too much on batters who are yet to hit their full stride.
The inconsistent form of Yashasvi Jaiswal has hurt the Royals while Sanju hasn’t played a big innings of significance this season.
Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag’s flashes of genius have also not been sufficient. With the exception of Jofra Archer, the bowling hasn’t been very sharp, as the Royals have twice given up scores of 200 or more.
The Royals will need to develop a disciplined bowling effort to contain the visiting team because they will be cautious of the Challengers’ batting.
When Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost both of its home games, it was a sobering experience after the thrill of climbing the insurmountable heights in Chennai and Mumbai.
The Challengers’ early-tournament momentum was somewhat wiped out by their disappointing six-wicket loss to the Delhi Capitals in the last game.
The Challengers have excelled at batting, with Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Devdutt Padikkal all looking well on surfaces that fit their styles. The opponents were hoping that Jaipur’s surface would be a quick scoring venue.
RCB would hope to swing the away-victory momentum back as they face a stuttering Royals.
Probable Playing XIIS:
Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Tushar Deshpande/Kumar Kartikeya, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Fazalhaq Farooqi
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone/Jacob Bethell, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Suyash Sharma
Pitch and weather report:
This is going to be an energy-draining afternoon game because the temperature in Jaipur can reach up to 38 degrees Celsius. The curators’ issue would be to make sure the pitch isn’t too dry, unless the home team gives an instruction that, based on what has happened at the IPL so far this season, may or may not be followed.
Head-to-head record:
The head-to-head record between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League is closely contested. Out of 32 matches played between the two teams, RCB has a slight edge with 15 wins, while RR has won 14 matches. There have been 3 instances where the match ended without a result.
Prediction:
RCB is favourite to win the game given they have a great batting lineup.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Afghanistan: ATN
MENA: Cricbuzz
