The battle for the playoffs spots has intensified as we head into the back end of the league stage. The struggling RR side will take on the third-placed RCB at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
After three consecutive losses, Virat Kohli’s men brought their season back on track with a remarkable victory over Mumbai Indians in the last game. They have played 10 matches, winning six of those and are sitting fairly comfortably in third position with 12 points.
RCB had lost against Punjab Kings by 34 runs before the postponement and didn’t get off to a good start in the UAE losing by six wickets and nine wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, respectively. In their previous game, the Challengers produced one of their best bowling performances to hammer MI by 54 runs.
Rajasthan Royals have exactly opposite campaign numbers, winning four and losing six of their 10 matches. They’re currently reeling in the mid-to-bottom table with eight points and will be desperate for a win. After winning out of nowhere against PBKS by two runs in their first game of the UAE leg, RR lost by 33 runs against Delhi Capitals and by seven wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their net run-rate of -0.369 will also need a significant improvement.
Key Players
Arguably the most consistent batter in world cricket, Virat Kohli became the first Indian to score over 10000 runs in the T20 format in the last game. He averages 41.65 while striking at 133.85, with five tons and 74 fifties to his name.
This season, Kohli has scored 307 runs in 10 innings at 34.11 and 122.80 SR. Kohli is coming off two back to back fifties and should do well against RR’s bowling attack too.
One of the most elegant batters in world cricket, Sanju Samson has the ability to play dynamic roles. He has 4499 runs in T20 cricket at an average of 27.94 and strike rate of 130.29. Samson has scored 433 runs in the IPL 2021 at an outstanding average of 54.12 while striking at 141.96.
Glenn Maxwell had years of mediocre performances in the IPL but has turned things around this season. The Australian T20 superstar has scored 300 runs in this edition at an average of 33.33 while scoring at 138.24. Maxwell produced a match-winning all-round performance against Mumbai Indians, where he scored 56 off 37 and picked 2/23 in his four. His overall T20 numbers are excellent, scoring 6974 runs at 27.24 while striking at an outstanding rate of 151.70.
Harshal Patel is having a dream IPL season, being the highest wicket-taker of the IPL 2021 with 23 scalps from 10 games at an economy of 8.58 and a wicket every 9.4 balls. The 30-year-old has bowled brilliantly, especially in the death overs. He’s coming off a memorable spell of 4/17 against MI, where he claimed a hat-trick.
Mustafizur Rahman, one of the best pacers in the T20 arena, has been in superb form this year. The left-arm pacer has terrific numbers in his T20 career, having claimed 208 wickets in 156 games at an excellent economy of 7.17 rpo.
The Fizz has been very good for RR this season, picking 11 wickets in 10 games while conceding at 7.84 rpo.
Prediction
The RCB-RR rivalry is neck and neck, with the Challengers leading the scoreline just slightly by 11-10 after annihilating RR in their previous meeting, chasing down 178 in 16.3 overs with 10 wickets remaining.
The Royals have some glaring holes in their unit. Their batting department has struggled for consistency apart from captain Sanju Samson. Yashasvi Jaiswal has done well but, Liam Livingstone and Riyan Parag haven’t fired yet. The bowling department looks toothless, with the exception of Mustafizur Rahman. All-rounder Chris Morris’ bad form has been a real dent in their campaign.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have a pretty good batting unit, with Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal doing well at the top and Glenn Maxwell having his best IPL season in years. AB de Villiers hasn’t fired in the last few games, but it could only be a matter of time. RCB’s lower middle order could be a concern, though, with not much quality in there, making the top five all the more important. With no real threat in RR’s bowling attack, expect RCB to out-bat RR in this fixture.
