FANTASY
Follow UsFresh from their thumping win over Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to solidify their chances of a top-four finish with a win over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday at the Dubai International Stadium. Royals, meanwhile, have dropped to sixth in the table after back-to-back losses against Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad. A win would take RR closer to the top-four on 10 points while RCB, currently third, will look to have a foot in the playoffs with 14 points in the bag.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 23 | RCB – 11 wins | RR – 10 wins | Tie/NR - 2
Last five matches: RCB – 3 wins | RR – 1 win | NR - 1
SUGGESTED TEAM
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. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
GROUND DETAILS
The pitch at the Dubai International Stadium has been a mixed bag since the beginning of the IPL 2021 second leg. In the five matches so far, the average first inning score has been 161, while the match between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals has yielded two 180+ scores. There is good enough bounce for the batters where batters
SUGGESTED CAPTAIN
Harshal Patel has defied expectations and did some more with his haul of 23 wickets this season. The Purple Cap holder's cutters and slower balls have been extremely difficult to pick for the batsman as he has consistently foxed the batters this entire season. He will be hungry for more wickets following his hat-trick against Mumbai Indians which earned a 54-run win for RCB.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Patel could pick 2-3 wickets against RR
X-FACTORS
Yuzvendra Chahal has delivered for RCB time and again this season putting the questions over his effectiveness to rest. He has bowled through the powerplay and middle overs containing runs on pitches which have aided batters and claimed 8 wickets, the most for RCB in this phase.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Chahal could pick 2-3 wickets against RR
Sanju Samson has been criticized for failing to convert his promising starts to an IPL season, but the Rajasthan captain has turned it around this season with a string of classy performances. With an average of 43.3 in 10 matches and a strike rate of 142, Samson has led Royals' batting by example.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Samson could score 38-56 runs against RR
Virat Kohli scoring three fifties from 10 matches in an IPL season can be looked as low by his lofty standards. Despite the team's poor finishing, Kohli has consistently delivered from the opener's role alongside Devdutt Padikkal.
Our Criclytics player projection predicts, Kohli could score 26-40 runs against RR
PROBABLE XIS
Rajasthan Royals: Evin Lewis, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson(WK/C), Chris Morris, Liam Livingstone, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Chetan Sakariya, Jaydev Unadkat, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (C), KS Bharath (WK), AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.