IPL 2019: RR vs RCB Predicted Playing 11, Preview & Key Players
Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore will look for their maiden 2019 win, when they face each other in the fourteenth fixture of the IPL 2019 on Tuesday, April 2, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Head to Head Overall Stats: Both the franchises have gone head-to-head in 17 completed matches, with the Rajasthan marginally edging out Bangalore by securing nine wins games. In 2018, RCB lost both the games they played against RR.
Head to Head in Sawai Mansingh Stadium : At this venue, Both teams have played six matches and have shared the honours by securing three games each.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's Perspective
The Royal Challengers have played three matches in IPL 2019 and are yet to register their first win of the season. They are struggling with their form and are coming of a 118-run thrashing by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Batting
Key Players - Virat Kohli, AB De Villers & Parthiv Patel
Royal Challengers Bangalore's batting has been awful and seems overly dependent on the likes of AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel and skipper Virat Kohli to make healthy contributions with the bat, which is hurting them badly.
Though these three are expected to make a resounding comeback against the Royals, the management will also need strong contributions from Shimron Hetmyer, Moeen Ali and Colin de Grandhomme.
Bowling
Key Players - Yuzvendra Chahal, Moeen Ali & Umesh Yadav
Yuzvendra Chahal has been the sole positive for the Bangalore bowlers this season; the wrist-spinner, has so far claimed six wickets and has been their key striker so far. He along with experienced Moeen Ali will be seen sharing the spin duties during the middle overs. While Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Siraj will head the pace department and will be backed by the skipper to rattle the Rajasthan top order early.
Expected Playing XI
Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Parthiv Patel (W), Shivam Dube, Colin de Grandhomme, Shimron Hetmyer, Prayas Barman/Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Rajasthan Royals' Perspective
On the other side, Rajasthan are fixing ways to lose the games, despite being in commanding position on most occasions. They lost their previous game against CSK by five runs and would love to get over the line against an inconsistent RCB.
Batting
Key Players - Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson & Ajinkya Rahane
Rajasthan Royals have been quite incredible with their batting, with all their top guns comprising Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Ajinkya Rahane and Steven Smith performing. Buttler has been team's X-factor and his performance will certainly decide their fate.
Samson stunned critics by playing an unbeaten 102-run knock against Hyderabad and he will be expected to post a similar show against RCB. Meanwhile, the team's daring batting-order boasts a strong batters in Rahane, Smith and Stokes, all of whom have the capability to bolster the scoring-rate on their own and get teams towards a giant score in case of a top order failure.
Bowling
Key Players - Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal & Jaydev Unadkat
Jofra Archer was their key performer against CSK and his figures of 2/17 against MS Dhoni's squad certainly describes his abilities, and he along with Jaydev Unadkat, will take the charge during poweplays.
Shreyas Gopal had snared three wickets in three games and boasts an economy of 6.87, and the leg-spinner will be expected to put shackles on the opponents run-rate during the middle overs.
Expected Playing XI
Ajinkya Rahane (C), Jos Buttler (W), Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Jofra Archer, Steven Smith, Ben Stokes, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat and Dhawal Kulkarni.
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL schedule, news, points table, live scores, orange cap, purple cap and fantasy tips.