IPL 2018, RCB vs RR Match Prediction: Who will win today's match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals
A 'Battle Royale' awaits what is expected to be a packed Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday as the Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Rajasthan Royals in the first game of the doubleheader.
Both sides head into the game on the back of victories at home. The former defeated the Kings XI Punjab on Friday while the latter won a rain-marred contest against the Delhi Daredevils on Wednesday.
Umesh Yadav has undoubtedly been RCB's best performer with the ball thus far in the competition and Virat Kohli will hope for him to strike early on Sunday.
The Vidarbha-pacer put in a man-of-the-match performance on Friday night, with figures of three for 23 in his four overs that derailed the KXIP batting line-up, after a great start.
For the visitors, Sanju Samson looked good with the bat in both matches and the Ajinkya Rahane-led side will hope for him to fire again.
With 86 runs in two matches so far, the Kerala batsman will look to make full use of the small boundaries on offer at the venue.
Date: 15th April 2018
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Time: 4:00 P.M IST
If Royal Challengers Bangalore bat first
Predicted score: 160+
One common factor for the home side in both games that they have played so far has been the poor start provided by the openers.
While Quinton de Kock did come to form in the second game, Brendon McCullum had poor outings with the bat in both matches and he will hope to strike big on Sunday.
It goes without saying that Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers will hold the key in the middle-order, but even more crucially, the likes of Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan and even Washington Sundar will need to step up with the willow in hand.
If Rajasthan Royals bat first
Predicted score: 150+
Like the home side, the Rajasthan Royals, too, have problems at the top of the order with the opening pair not getting them off to a good start in both their matches so far.
The key men who would have to do the bulk of the work to aid the Royals to that score will be Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahane and Jos Buttler, who will be banked upon to give the late impetus to the side.
How they tackle the threat of Yadav and also the spin bowling pair of Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal will also be interesting to see.
Match Prediction
Historically, the Chinnaswamy has been an excellent chasing ground and the sixes hit on this ground tend to travel further than at other venues, due to the high altitude at which the city is located.
It would not be a surprise to see the team, who gets it right at the toss, opt to chase and eventually win the game.
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