RCB vs RR Match Preview

Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis appear unstoppable at the moment as both have scored 4 half-centuries each in the 6 matches played so far. They put up yet another century partnership in the match against the Punjab Kings, their second of the season, and will be looking to give yet another good start here.

Glen Maxwell is striking the ball well and we know how effective he can be in the Powerplay or toward the end of the innings. These three players score almost 70% of all the runs for RCB. We think Kohli's challenge against the RR spinners will be quite interesting and that is where someone like Maxwell could be so crucial.

The middle and lower-order batting for RCB hasn’t been that good. Dinesh Kartik, Mahipal Lomror, and Shahbaz Ahmed have all struggled to score runs. If you see a betting market (Over/Under) on Lomror, bet Under! He has been terrible this season and has to be struggling to keep his spot in the playing eleven.

The return of Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga does add a bit of depth to the batting but he hasn’t had much opportunity to showcase his talent with the bat. Mohammad Siraj has been a standout performer with the ball. He picked up a 4-wicket haul in the last match and is now leading the race for the Purple cap. Wayne Parnell and Harshal Patel have picked up wickets but have been expensive.

The spinners have bowled well in patches but RCB lacks the quality that Rajasthan has. 

It was a rare failure of the Royals’ middle order on Wednesday as despite another good start from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, they fell short while chasing a modest target of 155 runs. Nevertheless, it will not affect the team’s morale as such and we expect them to come back strongly.

The form of Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal has been a bit inconsistent but they have enough runs under their belts to play a significant role in this match. Shimron Hetmeyer and Dhruv Jurel have played well more often than not and the team will be relying on them to give them a good finish in the death overs.

One of the things that stands out in RR is its six-hitting ability. On a small groud where sixes can absolutely rain, this batting lineup could be very tough to stop.

The Royals have a well-balanced bowling unit at their disposal. Yuzvendra Chahal has been the pick of the bowlers, picking up 11 wickets so far, and is firmly in the race to get his second consecutive Purple Cap. He has received good support from Ravichandran Ashwin. Trent Boult will lead the pace attack along with Sandeep Sharma, while Jason Holder is likely to fill in during the middle overs.

Chahal has had a lot of success at the Chinnaswamy during his time with RCB and we know Trent Boult will fancy himself against Virat Kohli early. Both of them could be performers to watch out for in this contest.

Weather Report

The weather is expected to remain warm with temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius.

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is excellent to bat on and we have already seen a couple of high-scoring encounters here this season. However, since this is a day game, the average first-inning score is a bit lower compared to a D/N fixture and anything over 180 can be tricky to chase.

Notable stats

Mohammad Siraj: India's Leading All-Format Pacer

Mohammad Siraj has been excellent with the ball this season and is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 12 wickets. He has an excellent economy rate of 6.70 runs per over and a bowling average of 13.41.

Team News

There are no updates regarding injuries from either side. 

 

RCB vs RR Probable 11

RCB Playing 11

  • Virat Kohli
  • Faf Du Plessis (C)
  • Glen Maxwell
  • Dinesh Kartik (Wk)
  • Mahipal Lomror
  • Shahbaz Ahmed
  • Wanindu Hasaranga
  • Mohammad Siraj
  • Harshal Patel
  • Suyash Prabhudessai
  • Wayne Parnell

RR Playing 11

  • Yashasvi Jaiswal
  • Jos Buttler
  • Sanju Samson (C)
  • Riyan Parag
  • Shimron Hetmeyer
  • Dhruv Jurel
  • Jason Holder
  • Yuzvendra Chahal
  • Ravichandran Ashwin
  • Trent Boult
  • Sandeep Sharma
This is not the official playing 11 for the match. This is a prediction of the expected playing 11 for each team based on the writers analysis.

Dream11 Prediction

We are backing the Rajasthan Royals to win here. While both teams have a strong top order, the visitors have a slight edge when it comes to the form of the finishers. Also, the Rajasthan Royals have a stronger bowling unit, which can be the key here. 

 

Top Picks

Jos Buttler: Jos Buttler can be pretty explosive during the Powerplay and has shown some good form this season, scoring 244 runs. He has an average of 45.78 against the RCB in his IPL career.

Faf Du Plessis: Du Plessis is the leading run-scorer of this season so far with 343 runs and an average of 68.60. He averages 82.00 at the Chinnaswamy and has scored 4 half-centuries here.

Shimron Hetmeyer: Hetmeyer has been a consistent finisher with the bat for the Rajasthan Royals this season. He has scored a total of 185 runs at a strike rate of 177.88.

 

RCB vs RR Dream11 Team 1

Keeper: J Buttler (VC), S Samson

Batters: V Kohli, F du Plessis (C), S Hetmyer, Y Jaiswal

All-rounders: G Maxwell, R Ashwin, W Hasaranga

Bowlers: Y Chahal, M Siraj

RCB vs RR Dream11 Prediction - OCB Team Prediction