IPL 2024, Match 19: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Match Preview

Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) square off at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, April 6.

After finishing fifth in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year, Sanju Samson-led Royals have started the 17th edition of the cash-rich league with three consecutive victories. They kickstarted their campaign with a 20-run win against Lucknow Super Giants at home. Their second match was another home affair against Delhi Capitals and the Royals won the encounter by 12 runs. The first-ever champions of the IPL travelled to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for their first away fixture and defeated Mumbai Indians comfortably by six wickets.

Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had a tumultuous start to their IPL 2024 campaign. They are languishing in the eighth position on the points table with just one win and three losses from four games. They played in the season opener at Chepauk and lost to defending champions Chennai Super Kings by six wickets. Faf du Plessis and Co. bounced back strongly with a four-wicket win against Punjab Kings at home. However, they have gone down to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets and Lucknow Super Giants by 28 runs in their last couple of matches.

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On the list of leading run-getters in the tournament, Virat Kohli and Riyan Parag are placed at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. While the former India captain has scored 203 runs from four matches at an average of 67.67 and a strike rate of 140.97, Parag has accumulated 181 runs from three games and has been dismissed only once. The youngster from Assam has a strike rate of 160.17 and his performances are earning him a lot of praise.

Both teams will be concerned with the form of their overseas openers. Du Plessis has only managed 65 runs in four innings at a paltry average of 16.25. Meanwhile, Jos Buttler has looked completely out of sorts, having registered scores of 11, 11, and 13.

The one huge difference between the two sides is the performance of their bowling departments. Rajasthan's new-ball duo of Trent Boult and Nandre Burger have been quite menacing. While Boult has been lethal with his ability to swing the ball upfront, Burger has used his pace to rattle the opposition batters. Avesh Khan and Sandeep Sharma have also chipped in with some fine performances. The experienced spin-bowling pair of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin have bowled very well in tandem. With six bowlers in good form, Samson has a lot of options to choose from.

Bengaluru's bowling department has been their Achilles heel over the years. Ahead of the auction, they released proven performers like Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaragna. Pacers Alzarri Joseph and Lockie Ferguson were roped in at the auction. While the West Indies speedster failed to impress in the first three games and eventually lost his place to Reece Topley, Lockie is yet to get his opportunity. Glenn Maxwell is the leading wicket-taker for RCB and it shows how insipid the frontline bowlers have been. The experienced Mohammed Siraj, who was expected to lead the attack, has conceded runs at an economy rate of 10.47.

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The Royals will look to continue their unbeaten run, while the Challengers will be desperate to return to winning ways.

Sawai Mansingh Stadium Pitch Report and Conditions

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium has provided a couple of good batting pitches in the first two games of IPL 2024. Both games were won by Rajasthan after they batted first. In the first game, they scored 193/4 against Lucknow and in the next game, they made 185/5 versus Delhi. Both Lucknow and Delhi could muster only 173 runs each in the second innings. In both the matches, the surface got slower in the second innings. The captain who wins the toss would be inclined to bat first and put a solid total on the board and make life difficult for the opposition batters in the second innings.

Click Here: RR vs RCB Live Score, Match 19

Probable Playing XI

Rajasthan Royals (RR):

Rajasthan Royals missed the services of Sandeep Sharma in the last game. The pacer is expected to be back for this encounter. Other than this, Rajasthan shouldn't be making any other change to their playing XI as all the players are looking very settled in their roles.

Predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma

Impact Player: Nandre Burger

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB):

Rajat Patidar hasn't been able to hit the ground running. He has scored only 50 runs in four matches but his 21-ball 29 in the last game should give him some confidence. RCB have the hard-hitting Suyash Prabhudesai in their squad and he could be a good addition to the playing XI. However, he might have to wait a little longer for his chance.

Predicted XI: Faf Du Plessis (C), Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat (WK), Mayank Dagar, Reece Topley, Mohammad Siraj, Yash Dayal 

Impact Player: Mahipal Lomror

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RR vs RCB Head-to-Head Record