IPL 10, Match 34, RPS v RCB - Rising Pune Supergiant Predicted XI

Rising Pune Supergiant started the campaign with much promise but then were faltered and slumped to three successive losses, only returning to winning ways against RCB and SRH which helped them reach in the top half of the table. RPS are sitting pretty at fourth on the table with eight points from eight matches.

However, they seem to have lost a bit of steam after they suffered horrendous defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders. Steven Smith has again exuded quality from the outset, accruing 275 runs, while Rahul Tripathi has proved to be a blessing at the top with his pyrotechnics.

Smith’s leadership has helped their side to get to the winning ways. He is not afraid of taking risks, which was quite prevalent when he gave the ball to Jaydev Unadkat to bowl the final over of the innings against Mumbai Indians. Rest of the batting line-up too has been functioning well.

The likes of Ben Stokes, Daniel Christian, Imran Tahir have been consistent and delivering as and when team demands.

RPS will play their next match against RCB which is expected to be a thrilling contest on Saturday (April 29). Here is the CricTracker’s RPS Predicted XI for the RPS v RCB encounter:

Openers (Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi):

It is unlikely that RPS will tinker with their opening combination. Ajinkya Rahane may not have the ability to start the innings with big sixes, but he has his own formulas to maintain a healthy strike rate. He has scored 84 runs in last two matches at an astonishing average of 42.

Rahul Tripathi, on the other hand, has been a sheer talent for his side and has an ability to perform under pressure. He not only provides solidity at the top, but also has the temperament to stick on the wicket and play long innings. He has played 6 matches in the tournament so far and is already amongst the contender for the orange cap.

Middle Order (Steven Smith, MS Dhoni, Manoj Tiwary):

Smith is a proud competitor and ruthless captain. With bat, he is a brilliant striker of the cricket ball and has the ability to perform under pressure. He played a brilliant knock against KKR but couldn’t help his team to set up a par score. He will look to lead from the front against RCB and try to continue his good run.

Dhoni played a magnificent knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad of 34-ball 61 to help his side record their second straight win. Keeping the innings against SRH aside, he has struggled to construct his innings and got out on loose deliveries. A fighter in true sense, MS is the key player for the RPS side.

One of the most enigmatic batsmen in the last few years, Manoj Tiwary is a lethal player at the number he bats. Tiwary played a match winning innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore which not only helped RPS register their second win, but also helped them get the much needed momentum back.

All-Rounder (Ben Stokes and Daniel Christian):

Smith mentioned that, Stokes’ injury isn’t serious and is expected to feature in place of Faf du Plessis. Man of the match against Mumbai Indians will look to carry his form against RCB. Ben troubled MI batting line-up with his Yorkers and was phenomenal in field as well.

The Australian allrounder has a huge amount of experience and is familiar with the conditions here in India. Dan has a good mixture of Yorkers and slower ones and has the ability to provide breakthroughs at crucial stages. He is not only a dangerous bowler, but has the ability to add 20-30 runs at the end of the innings. In 5 innings, he has scored 42 runs and picked 3 wickets.

Bowlers (Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Imran Tahir, Washington Sundar):

The wide shouldered fast bowler, Shardul Thakur has marginally impressed the analysts with his bowling this season. He has started off well but hasn’t been consistent in the later stages. Shardul needs to show more control in his bowling, understand his limitations and bowl within himself.

The left-arm medium-fast bowler uses his tall frame to good effect extracting bounce even on docile tracks. Line and length being his forte, Unadkat has proved to be a good pick for RPS. Apart from his bowling he certainly needs to work on his catching which virtually cost RPS the game last time round.

Imran Tahir has not only bowled at a good economy, but has also providing breakthroughs at crucial stages of the innings. In the absence of Indian star, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tahir has proved to be the leader of bowling line up. He has picked 10 wickets with the best figures of 3/28.

Washington Sundar came into the limelight after a successful stint in the TNPL where he claimed 11 wickets. On his debut, he had a decent outing with the ball giving just 19 runs from his quota of three overs. It will be interesting to see how he bowls against the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers who will do their best to make life difficult for the young spinner.