RCB vs RR: The match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, the second of the season, is arguably best observed through the eyes of the two top orders. Only 12 runs separate Faf du Plessis, Anuj Rawat, and Virat Kohli from Jos Buttler’s current tally of 491. With the contributions of Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal, the chasm expands even more. If it weren’t for Dinesh Karthik’s jailbreaks, RCB might not be where they are in the standings.
It should be a gift that they have less than 48 hours to stew in that harrowing event. The Royals, however, are not without blemishes. If RCB can finish RR’s cream in a timely manner, they’ll realize that the center can be somewhat crumbly.
Despite having Yuzvendra Chahal in excellent form, the Royals have conceded 192, 210, and 207 runs in their last three games, leaving RCB with a chance to redeem themselves. A doubleheader against one of the season’s best teams could be just the anesthetic needed to numb any lingering wounds and create the groundwork for another run of good fortune.
RCB vs RR: Match details
When: April 26, 19:30 IST, RCB against RR
When: The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, located in Pune, Maharashtra.
What to expect: Due to the rescheduling of the two Delhi Capitals games this week, the wickets at the MCA Stadium have received a mid-season break. Despite some symptoms of fatigued wickets in the game, this could push the teams to chase once more. However, chasing clubs have a 50% win rate in this venue this season.
Head to head: RCB 13-10 RR in a head-to-head matchup. Since the 2020 season, the Royal Challengers have won all five of their meetings with the Rajasthan Royals. Karthik delivered a chasing masterpiece in the rematch this season, swinging the momentum in his favor with a precise takedown of his state buddy R. Ashwin.
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RCB vs RR: Team-wise strategy and tactics
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Sanju Samson has been dismissed four times in five innings by Wanindu Hasaranga, and this will be an apparent line of attack against the Royals captain. RCB could contemplate pushing Kohli up to open and bringing in Mahipal Lomror as a left-handed floater in the middle order if Anuj Rawat is unable to give the PowerPlay momentum.
Possible XI: Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat/Mahipal Lomror, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Suyash Prabhudesai, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj
Rajasthan Royals
If Marco Jansen’s left-arm swing is a concern, the RCB has nothing in the way of relief. Trent Boult and Obed McCoy might be thrown at the anxieties of their opponents by the Rajasthan Royals.
In the reverse fixture, Samson made a tactical error by not bringing Chahal into the attack immediately after Karthik arrived at the crease. It could have been due to the presence of Shahbaz Ahmed at the other end, but Karthik has a dismal record against legspinners, particularly Chahal, who has dismissed him three times.
Possible XI: Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c&wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal
RCB vs RR: Trivia
– In the last four games, Wanindu Hasaranga has only bowled his complete quota of overs once.
– At the midway point of the league phase, Buttler is 58 runs ahead of Kohli, who set a new record with 973 runs in the 2016 season.
– Only Dinesh Karthik (200) and Liam Livingstone (182.26) had a higher strike rate than Shimron Hetmyer’s 179.20 percent among batsmen with more than 200 runs in the league.
