IPL 2022: Can RCB break the winning streak of RR

Both teams have played a couple of games, but Rajasthan Royals seems to be in the red hot form as they have won both their matches. 

Rajasthan Royals have begun this season with an absolute bang. They opened the season by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by a massive margin while defending the total. And in the second match, they defeated five-time champions Mumbai Indians owing to Jos Buttler’s century. The team has got in-form batters who have kept run-rate at a high of 8.50 in both the matches. Jos Buttler, skipper Sanju Samson, and Devdutt Padikkat have notched some big hits to shoot the score up on the scoreboard. But what stole the show for them has been their bowlers. The spin combination of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin added strength to pacers Trent Boult, and Prasidh Krishna has turned terrific to strike wickets and keep the economy rate low. If they continue to play like this, they might be one of the serious contenders for the title.

On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore won a terrific match against Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets after having a terrible defeat from Punjab Kings in the opening. Their batting has been a bit jittery and, therefore, will be looking forward to the inclusion of Glenn Maxwell in the playing XI. They have experienced bowlers like Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, and Wanindu Hasaranga, who have been quite impactful with their balls until now. The key highlight of today's match will be, seeing Yuzvendra Chahal playing in opposition to his former team. Mike Hesson also confirmed that Maxwell would be available from RCB’s next game onwards, which is against Mumbai Indians at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on April 9.

“It’s pretty clear that from Cricket Australia’s point of view, no contracted players are available before the 6th of April. So, even though he (Glenn Maxwell) has arrived here, he can’t play till the 6th. We are well aware of that. He will be available for the game on the 9th,” said Hesson in the video.

Head-to-head record

Of the 24 matches played between the two, Royal Challengers Bangalore have won 12 matches, Rajasthan Royals 10 matches and 2 went for No result.

Pitch Report

The pitch at Wankhede has been very favorable for batting. The presence of small boundaries makes the job easier for batters, and therefore it can be again a high-scoring game tonight. The dew factor can play a massive role in the second inning. 

Predicted Probable XI

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Navdeep Saini, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

Rajasthan batters are in good form as compared to Bangalore and are likely to have an edge over the latter tonight. Both the teams have an exceptionally well-talented pool of bowlers, but Royal Challengers Bangalore will need to find their best game to get past the winning Rajasthan Royals.