IPL 2018, Match 11 RCB vs RR: Preview: Buoyant Royals up against uneasy Challengers

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won their erstwhile game against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and opened their account in the league at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. However, despite the victory, the franchise has a lot to ponder about as they weren’t at their best by any means. The team would now be pitted against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday at the same venue.

On the contrary, the Royals, after a lacklustre show against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), were clinical against the Delhi Daredevils (DD) at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur. Most importantly, they exhibited a collective effort, which helped them strangle the opposition. Nevertheless, the playing conditions in Bangalore is much different from that of Jaipur.

The pitch in Bangalore promised to be a belter, but it has enough for the pacers as well as the spinners. Both Bangalore and Rajasthan have an impressive set of bowlers and the game is poised to be an exciting one. Meanwhile, the visitors would need to ensure that their bowlers have enough runs to play with, bearing in mind the explosive lineup of the Challengers.

Toss: RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first

RCB Playing XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Brendon McCullum, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Chris Woakes, Pawan Negi, Kulwant Khejroliya, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal

RR Playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane(c), D Arcy Short, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler(w), Rahul Tripathi, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin

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Team Combination

Royal Challengers Bangalore

After their victory against Kings XI Punjab, the Challengers won’t be willing to make any alteration to their combination. De Kock and Brendon McCullum, who perished for a golden duck yesterday, are the likely openers. Virat Kohli hasn’t quite been at his best, but his role along with AB de Villiers would be crucial. Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh are the remaining specialist batsmen in the lineup.

Sundar and Chris Woakes might also need to chip in with a few runs. The bowling lineup looks formidable as well. The franchise would again be pinning hopes on Umesh Yadav and Woakes to deliver. Sundar found his rhythm back, much to the delight of the Challengers. Yuzvendra Chahal’s form remains to be a concern, however, having played for India, he would know how to gain his form back.

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals are also likely to stick to their playing combination from their game against the Daredevils. Ajinkya Rahane and D’Arcy Short are the likely openers. Ben Stokes was promoted ahead of Samson in the previous game and it would be interesting to see where they are slotted. Jos Buttler is expected to be a vital cog in the middle-order.

Rahul Tripathi and Krishnappa Gowtham add to the depth of their batting. Dhawal Kulkarni and Ben Laughlin held their nerves and bowled exceptionally in the rain-truncated match. Jaydev Unadkat also showed his class by beating the likes of Glenn Maxwell on quite a few occasions. Krishnappa Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal are likely to shoulder the responsibility of the spin department.

Players to watch out for

Virat Kohli- Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli hasn’t quite been at his stupendous best in the first couple of matches. He has struggled to get going in the series. On both occasions, the spinners- Nitish Rana and Mujeeb Ur Rahman cleaned him up. Rajasthan has a couple of spinners in their ranks and Kohli would be hoping to shed the disappointment of the previous games and set the ball rolling.

Ben Stokes- Rajasthan Royals

Ben Stokes was speculated to play a major role for the Royals, both with bat and ball. Though he gave glimpses of his class in the previous game, he couldn’t quite convert the start into something substantial. Also, with the leather, he hasn’t shown effectiveness thus far. Against the might of Virat Kohli’s men, the Royals would need Stokes to fire on all cylinders.

Head to Head

Played-16, RCB- 8, RR-7, NR/Tie- 1

StatAttack

Virat Kohli’s batting average against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL is the lowest for him against any opposition. Kohli scored 258 runs against RR in the 15 IPL innings with only one fifty.

AB de Villiers’ 485 runs against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL are the most runs for any player against RR in the IPL. De Villiers averages 48.5 and scored six fifties against them.

Broadcast details

TV– Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Jalsha (Bengali), Star Maa Movies (Telegu), Star Sports Tamil

Online– Hotstar & YuppTv

Match Timings: 16:00 IST, 10:30 GMT

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