Rajasthan Royals (RR) will need to recover quickly from their disappointing defeat in Qualifier 1 as they prepare to battle a rampant Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 Finals at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Gujarat on Friday, May 27.
Both teams have been on a rollercoaster of emotions in their previous outings and come into Qualifier 2 with very different mindsets.
RCB will be buoyed with
Rajat Patildar’s brave display as their mid-season replacement, who went unsold at the IPL 2022 Auction, smashed an unbeaten 112 off just 54 balls to help seal a defiant 14-run victory against Lucknow Super Giants in their Playoff Eliminator.
However, their bowling attack, which has been impressive in the league stage, were put to the sword as Hardik Pandya (40 not-out) and David Miller (68 not-out) comfortably led GT across the finish line.
Rajasthan will need to brush off that disappointment or be prepared to once again be put under the pump, especially as everything seems to be going Bangalore’s way at the moment.
RCB were helped in their quest to make the playoffs by Delhi’s inability to beat the league’s bottom-side Mumbai Indians in their final group game.
Then despite Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell failing to delivery in the Eliminator, Patildar and Dinesh Karthik came up with the good to help them post a massive 207/4.
Harshal Patel (1/25) managed to recover in time from a finger injury to feature in the Eliminator and along with Josh Hazlewood (3/43) played a vital role in the run-chase to keep LSG at bay.
With their team combination clicking wonderfully, RCB might just believe that this could finally be the year they break their IPL duck and bring the trophy home.
However, the playoffs are an altogether different ball-game and with a spot in the Finals up for grabs, it remains to be seen which of the two sides come up with the goods in the knockout tie at Ahmedabad.
RR vs RCB Team News:
Rajasthan Royals Team News: Daryl Mitchell has exited the RR bio-bubble to join up with the New Zealand squad as they prepare for a Test series against England. Rajasthan also need to find a more balanced combination as their tactic of using six batters and five bowlers in the last game backfired.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Team News: Bangalore have settled on a steady playing combination and the return of both Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel from injuries should mean we see an unchanged Playing XI.
RR vs RCB Weather Update: Both the Qualifier 2 and the IPL 2022 Final will take place at Ahmedabad where there’s little chance of rain during this season. While it’s quite hot during the day, the temperature is expected to drop to around 29 degrees celsius in the night which should make it pleasant for the players.
RR vs RCB Pitch Report: The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is known to be a good scoring surface for the batters so we could be in for a high-scoring run-fest. The average 1st innings total is 174 in T20Is so the team batting first will want to put up a score around the 180-190 run mark.
Where to Watch LIVE: Match starts at 7.30 pm IST on Friday, May 27 with the Toss scheduled for 7.00 pm IST. The match will be telecast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also tune into the action via the Disney+ Hotstar.
RR vs RCB Top Fantasy League Picks:
Top Batting Picks: Jos Buttler managed to shake off a run of disappointing outings with a blazing knock in the last game and the tournament’s leading scorer will be keen to add to his incredible tally of 718 runs this season. Faf du Plessis meanwhile walked back on a ‘Golden Duck’ in the last game and will be keen to bounce back. The RCB captain is his team’s leading scorer with 443 runs this season.
Top All-Rounder Picks: Glenn Maxwell had a forgettable outing in the Eliminator after failing to contribute with the bat and the Australian all-rounder will be eager to make up for that disappointing display this time out. Ravichandran Ashwin could play a key role for RR and has made a habit of contributing with both bat and ball this season.
Top Bowling Picks: Yuzvendra Chahal finished wicket-less in the last game and will be looking to extend his lead at the top of the bowling charts after picking 26 wickets this season. Wanindu Hasaranga is hot on the heels of Chahal with 25 wickets and it could be a direct showdown between the two spinners to decide who finishes with the Purple Cap this season.
RR vs RCB Probable Playing XIs:
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Probable XI): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Josh Hazlewood.
Rajasthan Royals (Probable XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal and Obed McCoy
