IPL 2024, RCB vs RR Preview: Royal Challengers Bengaluru seeks redemption against an in form Rajasthan Royals
Get insights into the upcoming IPL showdown between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals as we delve into their batting woes, bowling strengths, and prospects for the highly anticipated encounter.
FollowThe struggling Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the soaring Rajasthan Royals (RR) curiously share common concerns as they prepare to clash in the Indian Premier League on Saturday. RCB's current eighth-place standing out of ten teams highlights their struggles, while RR's flawless record and second-place position don't necessarily reflect their inner turmoil. A faltering top-order is the common thread binding them together.
Despite being packed with talent and firepower, RCB's top-order batsmen - skipper Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, and Rajat Patidar - have failed to shine individually or collectively, except for Virat Kohli, who leads the Orange Cap race with 203 runs, including two fifties.
While Patidar displayed glimpses of his shot-making prowess with 29 runs against Lucknow Super Giants, he needs to contribute significantly more to bolster RCB's middle-order.
RCB will be banking on a reversal of fortunes at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, a venue resembling their home ground, Chinnaswamy Stadium, with a conducive pitch and a lightning-fast outfield favoring batsmen.
However, RR's concerns mirror those of RCB. Yashasvi Jaiswal, touted for his recent performances, has managed only 39 runs in three matches, echoing the struggles of Jos Buttler, who has scored a mere 35 runs in as many outings with a subpar strike-rate of 85.
While RR's batting has relied heavily on captain Sanju Samson and the improved Riyan Parag, they'll need solid contributions from other players as well.
Nevertheless, RR holds an advantage in the bowling department.
The trio of pacers Trent Boult and Nandre Burger alongside veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has found early rhythm, sharing 16 wickets between them. RCB's out-of-form batters might face a tough challenge against this trio at RR's home ground.
Despite this, RR's bowling unit has a noticeable gap with Ravichandran Ashwin's lackluster form, having taken only one wicket in three matches at an economy rate of 8.3.
RCB seems to lack the bowling variety or strength to exploit RR's batting weaknesses, as evidenced in their recent matches. Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal and off-spinner Glenn Maxwell top RCB's wicket-takers' list with four scalps each, but their impact has been limited.nThe underperformance of experienced pacers like Mohammed Siraj and Alzarri Joseph has added to RCB's woes.
Both teams will be looking to address these issues as they aim for a crucial victory in the upcoming encounter.
