RCB vs RR - The Royal showdown in Dubai

When we think of the battle between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, we vividly remember Anil Kumble's magical spell in 2009, Praveen Kumar's captivating hat-trick in 2010, AB de Villiers-Mandeep Singh's match-defining partnership in 2015, AB de Villiers' monstrous knock in 2020, and Devdutt Padikkal's magnificent century earlier this year.

The last time the two teams met each other at the Dubai International Stadium, AB de Villiers’ blitzkrieg knock powered RCB to an enthraling 7-wicket victory.  It seems like only yesterday that Ian Bishop's voice - "Game, Set, and Match to Abraham Benjamin de Villiers" - echoed around the TV sets as the Proteas star dispatched a Jofra Archer delivery to the mid-wicket boundary.  It's still ringing in all our ears.

Rewind to April 2021, when the two teams clashed once again - a plethora of records tumbled that night. The headlines belonged to Devdutt Padikkal. He etched his name in the annals of IPL history, becoming the youngest player to score an IPL ton while chasing. His unbeaten century and an imposing knock from the skipper Virat Kohli ensured that RCB made a mockery of the run-chase. 

It’s Round 2 of Battle Royale when Royal Challengers Bangalore square off against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday at the Dubai International Stadium. Both teams are coming into this fixture with contrasting results in the previous match. RCB, who have thus far secured six victories, are comfortably placed at third position, while RR find themselves withering at the bottom of the table with 8 points under their belt. 

After two disappointing results, Virat Kohli’s troops came up trumps against Mumbai Indians, beating them convincingly by 54 runs. A thumping win over a quality side would have surely boosted the confidence of the team. The Big Show made an impact not only with the bat but also with the ball in the previous game. With his all-round abilities, he conjured magic, scoring 56 off 37 balls and then taking two crucial wickets, including the prized scalp of Rohit Sharma. The skipper continued his good run of form, notching up the second consecutive fifty of the second phase of the IPL. 

However, the star of the night was Harshal Patel, who once again annihilated the Mumbai Indians’ batting attack, becoming only the third RCB bowler to register a hat-trick in IPL. He was entrusted with the responsibility to bowl at a crucial juncture of the game, where things could have gone either way. The pacer was up for the challenge. He starred with the ball as he dismissed Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Rahul Chahar all in the space of three balls to turn the balance of the game in favour of RCB. 

Come Wednesday, the 30-year-old will look to continue the good form. Needless to say, Yuzvendra Chahal has been a trump card for the skipper, especially in the middle overs. He weaved magic with the ball against Mumbai Indians, returning with impressive figures of 3/11 from his four-over spell. The team will look towards Chahal to inflict damage on RR’s batting line-up yet again. 

AB de Villiers, who holds the record for most runs scored against the Rajasthan Royals, will be eager to bring his A-game and get back among the runs against an opponent against whom he has enjoyed scoring. He has thus far amassed 648 runs in 19 innings with an average of 46.28. 

Oh, we would love to see Ian Bishop recreating “Game, Set and Match to Abraham Benjamin de Villiers” once again in the commentary box! 

Match Details

Date - Wednesday, 29 September 

Time - 7:30 PM [IST] 

Venue - Dubai International Stadium

Squads

RCB: Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkal, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pavan Deshpande, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kyle Jamieson, Dan Christian, Suyesh Prabhudessai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasarangal, Akash Deep, George Garton.

RR: Sanju Samson (C), Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Kartik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, David Miller, Manan Vohra, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahim, Chetan Sakariya, K.C. Cariappa, Kuldip Yadav, Liam Livingstone, Akash Singh, Glenn Phillips, Tabraiz Shamsi, Oshane Thomas, Evin Lewis.