RCB host RR for a special green game as part of ‘Royal’ clash at the Chinnaswamy

With the momentum on RCB’s side after a comprehensive win against the Punjab Kings, the Royal Challengers return to action on a bright Sunday afternoon in special green jerseys against the Rajasthan Royals.

With the top-order in form, RCB would be hoping to test the current table-toppers, Rajasthan Royals, in a battle of willow and leather. RCB captain Faf du Plessis is still battling an injury but would be raring to hit the yard, particularly with form on his side.

Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell’s presence in the side underlines the deep-lying strength of that bedecked top order that has managed to knit together 798 runs from the first six matches. Faf leads the show with the Orange Cap that has seen him putting together 343 runs while Virat Kohli and Maxwell follow suit with 279 and 176 runs respectively.

If RCB’s top-order has been in its prime, then a clinical display of bowling from one of RCB’s mainstays for the past five years, Mohammed Siraj, has seen him soar up to the top of the bowling charts with 12 wickets and was the holder of the Purple Cap until Arshdeep Singh claimed it yesterday evening.

Rajasthan Royals have posted a formidable show until now as they have won four games from the first six they have played. Once again, riding on the hard-hitting brilliance of Jos Buttler accompanied by the experienced acts of Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, Ravichandran Ashwin and finisher Shimron Hetmyer, who has been striking at a rate of 177.88, the Royals would be arriving in the very den of the Royal Challengers hoping to make this a perfect Sunday afternoon blockbuster.

Venue Watch:

Chinnaswamy continues to provide the required ingredients for the high-scoring dramas, despite a sudden change of character in the last game that was played here during the afternoon. However, with two teams stocked with big names who can hit the ball out of the park frequently, the chances of a 400-plus game are pretty much high.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Faf du Plessis vs Yuzvendra Chahal

With 343 runs and the Orange Cap adorning the RCB skipper like a glorious crown, this will be a match-up to savour. The South African is in the form of his life and will be banked on to put up another masterclass. Yuzvendra Chahal, one of the finest spinners in the business has also played a lot of cricket at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and how he bowls to stop du Plessis will be a key battle.

Virat Kohli vs Ravichandran Ashwin

Virat Kohli has found himself among the runs and with 279 runs in his kitty in IPL 2023, the former RCB skipper will have no hesitation to take on RR’s spinners, led by seasoned campaigner, R Ashwin. Ravichandran Ashwin, one of India’s most experienced campaigners has many tricks up his sleeve, and despite the Chinnaswamy not being known to assist spinners, you can expect the off-spinner to put up a challenge to Kohli. 

Mohammed Siraj vs Jos Buttler

Had it been IPL 2022, this confrontation could very well be one-sided towards Buttler, but come IPL 2023, Siraj has proven to be quite a nightmare for the best of batters and is firmly in the race for the Purple Cap. Jos Buttler is one of the most feared batsmen in the shortest format of the game and has himself looked in some decent touch. On his day, Buttler can win matches with his pyrotechnics, and it could come down to Siraj to remove the Englishman early and give RCB some early impetus. 

Match details:

Match: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals

Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Date: 23rd April, 2023

Time: 3:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 27

RCB: 13

RR: 12

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Faf Du Plessis (C), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Karn Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, David Willey, Wayne Parnell, Himanshu Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav, Michael Bracewell, Vyshak Vijaykumar

Rajasthan Royals:

Sanju Samson (c & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Dhruv Jurel, Sandeep Sharma, Murugan Ashwin, Donavon Ferreira, Kunal Singh Rathore, Abdul Basith, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, Obed McCoy, KC Cariappa, Akash Vasisht, Adam Zampa, Joe Root