IPL 2022, Qualifier 2: 'Ee Sala Cup Namde' trends as hopeful RCB fans await 'Royal' encounter
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are on a roll, and a tight win over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2022 Eliminator has fuelled expectations among fans for a long-awaited trophy.
FollowRajasthan Royals will need to shake off a regular bowling performance in their last outing when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the high-stakes Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 Qualifier-2 in Ahmedabad on Friday.
Having sneaked into the play-offs, Faf du Plessis' men are on a roll, and a tight win over the Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator has fuelled expectations among fans for a long-awaited trophy. They take on Sanju Samson's side, which has all bases covered but still came up short against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1.
The IPL 2022 caravan moves to Ahmedabad after a couple of high-scoring games in Kolkata. It has been a quick turnaround for the Bangalore franchise, but they won't mind that as they hope to keep the momentum going.
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"The best thing is that we have one day and we play again. Cannot wait to be in Ahmedabad and take the field again. We are so excited and happy with how things have gone. Hopefully, two more games and we all can celebrate," star RCB batter Virat Kohli told the IPL website after the win over LSG.
Rajat Patidar, who slammed a century against KL Rahul's team, will be a man with supreme confidence in another high-pressure knockout fixture. For someone who went unsold in the IPL mega auction and came into the Bangalore squad as a replacement player, it has been a career-changing season, and fans will be hoping he can repeat his Wednesday night's heroics.
Both the high-profile openers, Kohli and captain Faf du Plessis, are big-match players, and supporters will be itching to see them make an impact after low returns in the previous game.
Dinesh Karthik, who has been in top form throughout the tournament, has maintained consistency, and the team and fans would also be hoping for more runs in the back end of the innings from Glenn Maxwell.
RCB is likely to stick to the winning combination. Though Wanindu Hasaranga has been taken to the cleaners by opponent batters, the spinner has shown tremendous courage. Supporters would hope to see him spin a web around Rajasthan Royals, especially Jos Butler.
Harshal Patel has been another star for RCB this season as he has now turned out to be the franchise's go-to pacer in slog overs. Mohammad Siraj returned for the Lucknow game and bowled well with the new ball, sparking excitement among the crowd.Â
Josh Hazlewood enhanced his reputation as a death bowler with a match-deciding penultimate over. With the addition of a yorker in his armoury, it has only become more challenging for opponent batters to score.
RCB bowlers will have to be at the top of their game against a formidable Rajasthan batting lineup that relies heavily on Jos Buttler and skipper Sanju Samson. Both scored against Gujarat, but it did not prove to be enough.
Samson will be eager to convert his 30s and 40s into a substantial knock and lead from the front. It remains to be seen how the bowlers come back after a forgettable outing. R Ashwin had a rare off-day against Gujarat, while Prasidh Krishna paid the price for bowling length balls to David Miller in the final over.
Here's a look at the chatter that surrounds this 'Royal' encounter on Twitter, as RCB fans trend #EeSalaCupNamde (This year Cup is ours):
Squads:
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell, Corbin Bosch.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (captain), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar and Siddharth Kaul
Match starts at 7:30 pm.
(With PTI inputs)
