A royal challenge awaits as RCB takes on RR in round 2

Every good journey has unexpected bumps along the road and it is from these bumps one learns a thing or two that imparts perspective to the entire odyssey. In one such moment of a rare kink, the Royal Challengers Bangalore slumped down to the soaring Sunrisers Hyderabad in a lopsided affair.

However, one bad outing doesn’t quantify the hard work that the entire team has put in their campaign so far. It has been a memorable journey for the Royal Challengers Bangalore with 5 wins from 8 encounters that has seen the teams turn the tide around from almost inextricable situations. As the Challengers take on the Rajasthan Royals for the second time in the campaign, Faf and his men will be eager to get back to winning ways.

The Royals have shown some imperious domination to be in the third position of the points table with 5 wins from 7 games and a healthy net run-rate of +0.432. They have been on an almost unchecked ascent with their two falls coming against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Gujarat Titans. Their batters have been in electric touch with Jos Buttler leading the charge for their pecking order. Yuzvendra Chahal has been in sublime form too that has seen them being comfortably stationed in the upper half of the points table.

For the Challengers, their top-order has been a spot of bother. However, the middle order and the bowlers have managed to put up a fine display that has troubled oppositions pretty frequently and more importantly it hasn’t been one individual, rather the entire bowling unit has dovetailed in perfect proportions to make RCB a reckoning force in the latest edition of the tournament.

For the Royals, the performances have been more Buttler and Chahal-centric with the duo dealing the most important blows. The remainder of the team, however, is still to conjure a rock-solid display that would provide them the all-important belief that even if the duo doesn’t click in a game, the franchise will be bestowed with the power to hammer home the much-needed numbers.

Venue Watch:

The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium is more of a spin-friendly surface and has something for everyone. It is a fairly balanced track with the needle slightly inclined towards the batters. A good total in the first innings that can linger around 180-190 can be defended if the bowlers maintain an accurate line and length. There will be a fair bit of turn in both the innings but with the dew coming into play in the second, it will be an added advantage for the batters.

Battles to watch out for:

Dinesh Karthik versus Jos Buttler: How incredulous and outrageous it may sound but Karthik has so far been RCB’s best and has bailed them out on quite a significant number of times. Both his strike rate and average has seemed brilliant and more importantly, he has been thriving under the pump. For Jos Buttler, this tournament has felt like a gladiator’s arcade and he has been dispatching the bowlers with zero mercy.

Faf du Plessis versus Sanju Samson: Both the captains have done a fairly decent job despite the frequencies varying for Faf and Samson. Faf has already proven it that if he gets going, there will be no exempt for the bowlers while for Samson, he has mainly stitched together cameos and they have been bang on their money in helping the Royals stack up significant totals.

Harshal Patel versus Yuzvendra Chahal: Harshal Patel has been a reliable option for the Challengers bowling unit as he has been economical and has also claimed important wickets that makes him a threat to look out for. While for Chahal, he is currently the purple cap holder and he can change the complexion of the game with just one good over.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Luvnith Sisodia, Siddharth Kaul.

Rajasthan Royals:

Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler (R), Yashasvi Jaiswal (R), R Ashwin, Trent Boult, 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, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell

Match Details:

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals

Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Date: 26th April 2022

Time: 7:30 PM IST