In what will be the battle of royalty, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face off in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Qualifiers 2024. The match between the teams will take place at the Narendra Modi International Stadium in Ahmedabad. on Wednesday (May 22).
The team that loses the game will be eliminated, while the winner will advance to Qualifier 2 to play against Sunrisers Hyderabad. So, there will be a lot at stake when Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru clash at the world’s largest stadium.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) also faced off earlier in IPL 2024. It was a brilliant performance by both teams as it saw two centuries from two fantastic players, Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler, but it was Rajasthan who came out victorious.
The head-to-head history between RR and RCB is quite balanced. The two teams have faced each other in 31 games in total. Of those games, the team led by Faf du Plessis won 15 games, while 13 games belong to Rajasthan Royals, while three games also ended without result.
Rajasthan Royals would be devastated by the way they performed in the last few games. They lost 4 games in a row and missed out on a spot in Qualifier 1. However, on the other end, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been on a rampage as they have won 6 games in a row and booked a spot in the playoffs.
Both teams will be without some key players in the team. While Rajasthan Royals will be without Jos Buttler, RCB will be without Will Jacks and Reece Topley. The English players left the IPL due to international obligations and that leaves a big hole in the team’s lineup.
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Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bat first in the game against RCB. He said that the game will be about mentality and that they must focus on what is happening in the current day.
“I would like to bowl first observing the conditions and the wicket. Last night there was dew. It’s about the mentality. Really excited to come play in this fabulous stadium. Great energy here. Looking at what cricket has taught us. When you have bad days, you need to have character and confidence. That’s been the hardest part: fitness and injuries. “Hetty returns.”
RCB Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis, on the other hand, also wanted to play. He said they want to focus on skills and play positively.
“I would have done the same. Watching last night’s game, there was help for the seam players from the beginning. This looks drier with some artificial grass on top. We’ve had that mentality forever. Focusing on your own skills, being true to your way of playing. The last match against CSK was incredible. Less is more. People think that when you get to the knockout stages, you have to be Superman. It’s just showing the kids that you trust them. Same team.”
RR vs RCB: Impact Players
RR: Nandre Burger, Shimron Hetmyer, S Dubey, Donovan Ferreira, Tanush Kotian
RCB: Anuj Rawat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Swapnil Singh, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Himanshu Sharma
RR vs RCB: Playing XI
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sanju Samson (w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (playing XI): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (w), Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson.