The battle royal for a final spot
We're through to the playoffs stage of the 15th edition of IPL. With Gujarat Titans becoming the first team to make it to the finals of the season, Qualifier 2 promises to be a cracking game. It's going to be a tight battle between 'Royal' Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan 'Royals'.
RCB have been good so far in the ongoing season. They've come together as a team and have some match winners in their line-up. RR on the other hand, have looked good for most part of the tournament. But their issue is inconsistency with the batters and not so good death bowling. It'd be interesting to see who would emerge as the winner.
Team News:
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
The addition of Rajat Patidar as an injury replacement has worked wonders for RCB. His performance with the bat has given a lot of confidence for the management. As a result, the openers are taking their time and scoring enough to help the team's cause. Faf and Virat on their day in big matches can be really dangerous.
The middle order looks fine too. Glenn Maxwell has looked good despite being a bit inconsistent. Mahipal Lomror has played some fine cameos. Shahbaz Ahmed can contribute both with the bat and with the ball. But the confidence given by Dinesh Karthik to the management has been immense.
Their bowling is looking good as a unit. Mohammad Siraj has made a mini comeback after some early failures. Josh Hazlewood has been sensational ever since he joined RCB. Harshal Patel has proved why he's among the bests in the world at the moment. Wanindu Hasaranga gives them important breakthroughs in the middle overs. Then they've so many options to choose for the completion of fifth bowling option. Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed and Mahipal Lomror can all bowl some overs.
Rajasthan Royals:
Their batting is slightly inconsistent. Though Jos Buttler has been prolific, he has struggled to get going early in the innings. That puts a lot of pressure on the likes of youngsters like Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag, who couldn't perform as they would've liked. So Buttler has to be at his aggressive best, right from the start, for RR to be on top.
Shimron Hetmyer would be the key batter. He has been arguably the best finisher in IPL over the last two seasons and RR would need him to be at his best. Ravichandran Ashwin is used well by the management, especially as a batter. His cameos can be crucial for RR. The youngsters might've to play freely and contribute in team's cause.
Their bowling looks good. Trent Boult can change the game in a matter of few balls with his amazing swing bowling in powerplay. Prasidh Krishna needs to improve his bowling in the death overs. Obed McCoy has improved in the last few games, which is a good sign. RR would want their spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal to be at their best against RCB.
Playing XIs:
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Faf Du Plessis (C), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammad Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
Rajasthan Royals:
Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Obed McCoy, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna
Key Stats:
- Jos Buttler is just 18 runs more to become the batter with third most runs in a single season, surpassing the likes of Kane Williamson, Chris Gayle, and Michael Hussey.
- Harshal Patel is just 3 wickets away from claiming 100 IPL wickets.
- By playing the Qualifier 2 against RR, RCB will become only the third team to ever play 15 or more matches in IPL playoffs after MI and CSK.
- Both the teams have faced each other for 27 times in IPL. RCB have won 14 of them, while RR have managed to win 11 of them. The other two matches ended with no result.
Pitch and Conditions:
The battle of 'Royals' will take place in Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad. It's a fresh pitch. It's going to be the first match to be played in the venue in the ongoing season. Toss might be a big factor. The pitch might remain true throughout the match and the audience can expect a cracking game with a lot of runs.
When, Where, and how to watch?
The match between RCB and RR will start at 7:30pm IST on 27th May 2022. It will take place in Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad. With the match happening on Friday, a cracking battle to be expected on the big day, we can expect high occupancy in the biggest cricket stadium.
The TV airing of the match will be available on the Star Sports network. The live streaming of the match will be available in the Disney plus hotstar app for the mobile and laptop users.
Dream 11 team:
