Royal Challengers Bangalore have started the tournament in the best possible way. They are the only team to have won all the games this season. RCB posted thrilling wins over MI and SRH in their first two games. They comfortably defeated KKR in their third game. RCB have found new heroes in every game. Harshal Patel led the charge in the first game while Glenn Maxwell’s innings proved to be the difference in the 2nd game.
RCB have found new heroes in both their wins and this augurs well for the franchise. Shahbaz Ahmed’s game-changing over against SRH is another highlight. Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers powered RCB to a fantastic total in the third game. Mohammad Siraj then bowled an excellent penultimate over to shut the game. They will be high on confidence heading into their 4th game.
Rajasthan Royals fought till the very end in both their games. They narrowly lost against PK in their first game. RR valiantly stayed in the chase of a gargantuan total. They made amends in the second game against DC. Their tactic of taking pace off the ball worked wonderfully well. RR restricted DC to a below-par score of 147. They were struggling at one stage (42-5) chasing the total. Their foreign players, David Miller and Chris Morris bailed them out. But they came a cropper against CSK.
RR were completely outplayed and this must have dented their confidence. Their bowling came short and their batting looked clueless. RR will be facing table-toppers RCB in their fourth game. It will be a difficult task for them to come up trumps against such an in-form side.
RCB vs RR: Favourites?
RCB are in red hot form. They have won the first 3 games for the first time in their IPL history. RCB mastered alien conditions in Chennai. They are the only team this season who have enjoyed playing at Chennai. This shows the versatility in their squad. RCB will be happy to be playing at Wankhede for their next couple of games. The pitch will aid their natural stroke makers. RCB look unstoppable right now.
RR on the other hand are clearly struggling. 3 of their foreign imports are not with the team. RR are left with just 5 overseas options to choose from. Their bowling has struggled in 2 out of the 3 games while their batting has come a cropper in 2 games. RR has not had a perfect game yet. Their captain, Sanju Samson needs to step up. His inconsistency is not helping RR’s squad. RR need inspiration from their senior players. They have an improbable task ahead of themselves.
Which players will be match-winners in this game?
AB de Villiers has scored 648 runs in 19 innings against RR, averaging 46.29 and striking at 146.61. He is coming off a brilliant run of form in IPL 2021.
RR may target RCB’s weakness against wrist spin. Shreyas Gopal may get a look in who boasts of a fabulous record against RCB batsmen. He has picked 14 wickets in six games at an economy rate of less than 6 an over.
X-factor player:
Glenn Maxwell is in top form in IPL 2021. He averages 58.66 and is striking at 149.15. Maxwell will love the Wankhede wicket more. This isn’t great news for other teams.
Jos Buttler boasts of an IPL career strike rate of 149. He has been threatening to come good all this while. The match against RCB might just be his day.
Probable Playing XI:
Royal Challengers Bangalore predicted XI:
Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dan Christian, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal
Rajasthan Royals predicted XI:
Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson (WK), David Miller, Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya
What do stats say about RCB vs RR?
RCB and RR have played 23 IPL games against each other.
RCB has won 10 matches. RR has won 10 games. 3 games have not fetched a result.
RCB’s highest score against RR is 200. RR’s highest score against RCB is 217.
RCB’s lowest score against RR is 70. RR’s lowest score against RCB is 58.
Pitch:
Wankhede wicket has been a batting beauty. The initial few overs have been sticky and teams have found it difficult to counter the seam and swing on offer. If teams can manage the first powerplay without losing wickets upfront, then there is a huge score for taking.
Weather Report:
A high of 33 degrees and a low of 27 degrees is expected. There are no chances of rain. This being a day game team winning the toss will want to bat first.
Ground stats:
175 is the average score at this venue.
StumpsandBails verdict:
It is a battle for elusive points between RCB and RR. RCB starts favourites but RR boast the advantage of having already played at this venue.
