FANTASY
Follow UsRajasthan Royals will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2022. A win will take the team to the final of the competition. For RCB, it will be their first final in seven seasons if they manage a victory. For RR, however, it will be their first final since 2008. A defeat will draw curtains on the losing side’s campaign.
Form wise, the two teams are on different tangents. Rajasthan won six of their first eight games which secured them a spot in the top two despite a 50-50 record in their last six league games. Bangalore, on the other hand, have won four of their last five matches following a mid-season jitter.
However, the way this tournament has proceeded, the recent form hardly gives you a peek into the outcome of this match.
Ground Details and Team Combination
It will be the first match of the season at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. In the recent past, it has been a good chasing venue with 67 percent of the games being won by the side batting second. Given that 158 is the average first innings score, it's safe to presume the pitch gets better to bat in the second innings. Although, the data is supported by a sample size of only six matches in the last three years.
The ground also has bigger dimensions than any of the other venues used this season. Hence, slower bowlers will be in contention to get the batters caught at the boundary ropes. However, spinners have picked only 38 percent of wickets in the last three years.
Team Suggestion
The team we've picked has a good mix of world-class batters and bowlers. But remember, while you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms.
Captain Selection
Josh Hazlewood has been a great wicket-taking asset for RCB across all phases of the innings. In the slog overs, especially, he has picked nine wickets at 11 balls apiece. Also, his economy in the powerplay and the middle-overs is under 7. The numbers show the Aussie speedster has been in top form and an obvious choice to lead your fantasy fortunes for this game.
Our Criclytics Player Projection predicts Hazlewood to pick 2-3 wickets in this match
X-Factors
Trent Boult has blown hot and cold this season but on his night, he can kick-start your fantasy fortunes on a high note. He has nine wickets in the powerplay at a decent average. There also lies his match-up against Faf du Plessis. The RCB skipper has struggled to pick the left-arm seamers, losing his wicket six times to this bowling type this season. The encourages us to recommend Boult as an X-factor pick.
Our Criclytics Player Projection predicts Boult to pick 1-2 wickets in this match
Yashasvi Jaiswal has picked up in this tournament since making a comeback to the RR XI. In the first three games, his scores read 20, 1 and 4. Since coming back to the side, the young left-hander has notched-up two fifties in five matches. He emerges as one of the best budget picks for this high-voltage contest.
Our Criclytics Player Projection predicts Jaiswal to score 28-42 runs in this match
Match-Ups
A clear match-up lies between du Plessis and Boult, a battle that will unfold from the first over of RCB’s innings itself. Boult has dismissed du Plessis thrice in T20 cricket without giving much away. In addition, du Plessis has struggled to get going in the powerplay this season.
Probable XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammad Siraj
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal
