Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) met just once in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. It was in the first half of the league when the two sides locked horns in Jaipur on April 6. Before that game, RR had won their first three contests while RCB had lost three out of the four fixtures they had played. The game saw individual hundreds by Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler but it was a much better bowling show by RR which gave them their fourth win on the trot.
It was indeed a high-flying start by the Sanju Samson-led unit as they won eight out of their first nine matches but stepped on a banana peel in Hyderabad on May 2 and have been slipping since then. A side which was the runaway favourites to seal the top-two spot have now lost four consecutive fixtures and saw their last league game get abandoned due to rain. It’s been nearly a month since RR tasted a win and things have gone horribly wrong for a team which looked a well-oiled machinery in the first half of the tournament.
They would hope to fire all cylinders because they are up against a side which last lost a fixture on April 21, yes almost a month ago! RCB are riding high on momentum coming into this Eliminator clash and the win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with a margin enough to boost their run-rate would do their confidence a world of good.
What: RCB vs RR, IPL 2024 Eliminator
Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
When: May 22, Wednesday
Time: Toss at 19:00 hrs, Play starts at 19:30 hrs
Team News: RCB
Whatever should have gone right went right for RCB in the last month which saw them win six matches, get other results in their favour and sneak past CSK for a top-four finish. No one would have believed an outcome like this was possible when the side was struggling with just one win and seven defeats. There was a mathematical chance and it was enough to inspire the side to turn things around, and how.
The batting, which was initially overly dependent on Virat Kohli, clicked as a unit and had consistent contributions from Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green and Faf Du Plessis. Dinesh Karthik has continued with his finishing touches – 315 runs at a strike rate of 195.65 – and its only Glenn Maxwell who has been a big disappointment with the bat.
With Will Jacks away on national duty, Maxwell needs to find his mojo back with the bat and make a contribution when it matters the most. He played a crucial cameo vs CSK, was very accurate with the ball but RCB would hope for a Big Show in Ahmedabad. The bowling continues to be a worry but RCB would hope the batting might cover up for that. Mohammed Siraj and Yash Dayal have looked good in patches and need to put a consistent foot forward in the knockouts.
Team News: RR
The opening problem persists and now with Jos Buttler away on national duty, it will need a real step up from Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has managed just 348 runs in 13 innings this year. Even after hot and cold starts, RR did well in the middle overs thanks to the consistency of Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag. Now in the last four fixtures, Samson (119 runs in last four games) too has struggled to get going and its only Parag (199 runs in last four games) who has managed to put a brave foot forward.
As far as bowling is concerned, Yuzvendra Chahal losing his magic in the last few games and not being effective in the death overs is a cause of concern for the RR unit. Between overs 16-20, Chahal’s economy rate was 8.61 and 8 in 2022 and 2023 respectively but it has shot up to 12.23 this season.
He has managed to pick just five wickets during that period this season which is nearly half of last season and one-third of what he managed in 2022. Chahal has enjoyed some success against Faf Du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell in the past and he would now look to dismiss Virat Kohli for the first time in T20s.
Ahmedabad Weather:
It is going to be very hot in Ahmedabad this week and the temperature will continue to flirt with 45 mark. With very little wind, the conditions will test the players and dew is likely to play a part if the temperature drops drastically in the second half of the game. There will be more clarity on the dew part during Qualifier 1 as the conditions are unlikely to change in a day.
Squads:
RCB: Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar (trade), Vyshak Vijaykumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Lockie Ferguson, Tom Curran, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan
RR: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa (withdrawn), Prasidh Krishna (injured), Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian (replacement for Adam Zampa), Keshav Maharaj (replacement for Prasidh Krishna)
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