IPL 2024: Predicting 3 players who could score the most runs in today's RR vs RCB matchÂ
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have an uphill task on their hands to get out of their losing run in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The Faf du Plessis-led side are scheduled to play the unbeaten Rajasthan Royals (RR) away from home at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, April 6.
RCB recorded one of their most famous wins at the venue during the 2023 edition. In a tight race to the playoffs, RR were bundled out for a paltry 59 while attempting to chase 172. Eventually, both sides failed to make it to the top four, but RR have improved drastically since then, while RCB have gone the other way around.
RCB are struggling across all departments this season, and if things do not improve soon, then they are staring at yet another forgettable season. The three-time finalists have only won one game so far, and are on a two-game losing streak at the moment.
RR, on the other hand, have made a flying start to the season after making slight tweaks to their side from last year. Left-arm pacer Nandre Burger has settled quite well into the bowling attack while a rejuvenated Riyan Parag is taking the campaign by storm. Although Rajasthan are still not a perfect side yet, they have still managed to overthrow the opposition.
Runs will be crucial at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium which has hosted a handful of matches in the tournament so far, with both being high-scoring encounters.
On that note, let us take a look at three players who could score the most runs in today's RR vs RCB match in IPL 2024.
#1 Riyan Parag
RR's Riyan Parag has embraced the new No. 4 role completely, playing a match-rescuing innings against DC, while steering the tricky run chase against MI recently too.
Coming on the back of an impressive domestic season, Parag has translated the form into the big leagues as well. He has repaid the faith RR have bestowed on him for years, and he now has a chance to keep this run going and end up with something special.
With one of RCB's issues being their middle-order bowling, Parag can take advantage of it and continue his scoring spree in IPL 2024.
#2 Virat Kohli
RCB's batting is hinged entirely on Virat Kohli this time around, with the rest of the batting unit struggling to support him. The likes of Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, and Cameron Green have only been good in spells and RCB are yet to have a complete batting performance.
M Siddharth outsmarted Kohli in RCB's most recent contest, but before that, he recorded back-to-back half-centuries and also held the Orange Cap for a brief bit. Considering how the rest of the batting unit is currently faring, any chance of RCB winning rests on Kohli's shoulders yet again.
The ace batter will have a stern test throughout, with the left-arm duo of Trent Boult and Nandre Burger running in with the new ball, and Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal controlling the middle overs. Kohli has only scored 64 runs in his last six innings against RR, so perhaps a big score is on the way to break the string of poor scores.
#3 Jos Buttler
The shaky form of the RR openers - Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler - is what makes the franchise's start a near-perfect one rather than completely perfect. Both batters have had a huge say in RR's batting in the recent past, and if they find form now, it would arguably make them the team to beat in this competition.
Buttler has struggled for form for quite a while now. An underwhelming 2023 ODI World Cup in India, followed by a forgettable tour of the West Indies and the SA20 has now extended to a bleak start in the IPL 2024. He needs a spark after having scored only 35 runs in three matches so far.
Buttler might have a hard time negotiating RCB's new ball attack of Mohammed Siraj and Yash Dayal, but once he survives the opening phase, he can perhaps capitalize on it and be among the runs once again.