When RCB clash with the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, it will be a Royal battle – literally and metaphorically. Captained by Faf du Plessis and piloted by Virat Kohli, RCB are on a roll while the Sanju Samson side have had their moments and will be no pushovers. It will be a contest between sides that are equal in strength.
The only difference is that RCB are coming off six consecutive wins and RR are entering the match with four back-to-back losses and one washout. The momentum, if it means something in sport, is with the Bengaluru side.
RCB vs RR Previous Performances
Both the teams have fared contrastingly in the closing stages of the league phase. While Rajasthan couldn’t win any of their matches in May, Bengaluru won all four of their matches. Faf du Plessis and Co. are on an incredible six-match winning streak and will be confident about their chances of progressing to Qualifier 2. Meanwhile, Rajasthan had a fantastic start to the season, winning eight out of their first nine matches. However, they went on to lose four straight games before their last league encounter was washed out.
Momentum is on RCB’s side but they will have to be wary as Rajasthan have quite a few game-changers in their playing XI. The inaugural champions defeated RCB by six wickets earlier in the season in Jaipur, chasing an 184-run target with five balls to spare.
RCB vs RR Head to Head
It was RR’s fourth win in four games, and RCB’s fourth defeat in five games. Virat Kohli scored 113 off 72 balls in Jaipur – equalling the record for the slowest IPL century – though he has sped up enormously since. The rest of RCB’s batters didn’t do much – that’s also changed since – and they finished with 183 for 3. Jos Buttler led RR’s successful chase with a hundred, but they don’t have him anymore, while Samson made 69 off 42 balls. He’s passed 20 only once in his last four innings.
RR 13 – 15 RCB. There is very little to choose between the sides as far as the past record goes but since 2020, RCB have enjoyed domination over the Jaipur side with a record of 7:3. In the knockout games, both have lost more than they have won – RCB have six wins and nine losses while RR have four wins and five defeats.
| Matches Played | 31 |
| Rajasthan Royals won | 13 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru Won | 15 |
| No Result | 03 |
RCB vs RR Pitch Report
The pitch for the Eliminator is the strip on which Gujarat Titans scored 231 for 3 against CSK and won by 35 runs on May 10. There is no rain forecast in Ahmedabad on Wednesday and it’s likely to be extremely hot, with day time temperatures of 40-45°C reducing to only between 30-35°C in the evening. Whether there is dew or not will depend on the gulf between the day and night temperatures.
The range of scores also vary significantly depending on the surface. There was only one match with 175-plus scores in the first four league matches in Ahmedabad, but the last two league games had scores of 200 for 3, 206 for 1 (RCB), 231 for 3 and 196 for 8. RR have not played a game in Ahmedabad this season.
The Narendra Modi Stadium has produced some fine batting surfaces this season, while others have been great for the slower bowlers. Both teams wouldn’t mind a high-scoring encounter as their squads are well-equipped for such games. The captain who wins the toss could opt to bowl first and assess the conditions. Also, the teams will keep an eye on Qualifier 1, which takes place on Tuesday, and take into account how much of a role the dew factor plays.
A high-scoring game with both teams having big hitters and some quality bowlers. While RCB look good on batting, the Royals have a very formidable bowling attack. It could be a contest between RCB batting and RR bowling.
RCB vs RR Big Picture No second chances to losers
On April 21, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lost a 200-plus chase to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by one run, their seventh defeat in eight games, leaving them last in the league. As a familiar feeling of despondency shrouded their season, ESPNCricinfo outlined how they still had a chance, improbable though it was.
Since then, RCB have had a resurrection, the kind of turnaround that has been prime material for inspirational screenplays about sports teams coming back from the abyss. RCB didn’t just win six in a row; they won by massive margins of 35 runs, 24 balls to spare, 38 balls to spare, 60 runs, 47 runs, and by 27 runs to improve their net run-rate and rise above three other teams on the same points as them, to make a dramatic last-minute dash into the playoffs.
A couple of days after RCB had begun their revival, Rajasthan Royals (RR) cruised to their eighth win in nine games. They had owned No. 1 for weeks and were favourites to finish there. There was absolutely no sign of what was to come.
The fall began insidiously, a one-run defeat in a 200-plus chase, a 20-run defeat in another 200-plus chase, both results so easily attributed to the vagaries of T20 cricket. Even when their batters were muzzled on a slow pitch in Chennai, their captain Sanju Samson didn’t think they were playing bad cricket. But when it happened again in Guwahati, there was no denying their “failures”.
Despite losing four in a row, though, and having their final league game washed out, RR would have still finished No. 2 had Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) not won their last game. That’s how strong a safety net they had built with all those early wins. It wasn’t strong enough, however, to give them a second chance of making the final.
The value of confidence and momentum in sport is impossible to measure. RCB and RR’s unexpected rise and fall are examples of how unpredictable T20 cricket can be. But in addition to intangibles like confidence and momentum, there’s also experience. RR go into the Eliminator with no experience of playing a high-pressure, knockout game this season. RCB, on the other hand, have qualified for the Eliminator having played, and won, six eliminators already.
RCB vs RR Team news and Impact Player strategy
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB brought Glenn Maxwell back into the XI for their previous game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after Will Jacks returned to England, and he scored 16 off 5 balls and took a wicket with the first delivery of the defence on his way to figures of 1 for 25 in four overs. Expect them to be unchanged, with one of Rajat Patidar and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh starting in the XI and the other coming in as Impact Player depending on whether they bat or bowl first.
RR won the toss in both their previous full games but lost after making sub-par totals. Are they batting first to make the most of their Impact Player strategy: six batters and five bowlers in a batting first XI gives them the option of a sixth specialist bowler for the chase if they don’t need to bring in an extra batter in the first innings.
In the spotlight: The difference between RCB and RR
RCB vs RR Vital Stats that matters
- Sandeep Sharma was injured and did not play the only RR-RCB fixture this season, where Kohli made that unbeaten hundred. He’s got Kohli out seven times in 15 T20s while conceding only 87 off 67 balls.
- Kohli has a powerplay strike rate of 187 in his last eight innings, which has raised his overall strike rate in the first six overs to 162 this season, his best in any IPL.
- Yash Dayal had been playing a crucial part in RCB’s revival long before he denied CSK in that thrilling final over in Bengaluru. He’s taken eight wickets in their six successive wins with an economy of only 7.78, which is sensational considering he bowls at the death. Dayal has a good match up against Jaiswal in T20s: 11 runs off 12 balls for two dismissals.
RCB vs RR Probable Playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals:
Yashaswi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Dubey, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact substitute – Sandeep Sharma
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Siraj, Swapnil Singh
Impact substitute – Suyash Prabhudessai
RCB vs RR Fantasy XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal
RCB vs RR Probable Best Players of the Match:
Probable Best Batter: Virat Kohli
It is hard to bet against Virat Kohli, with the form that he is in. The Delhi batter is the leading run-getter in IPL 2024, having amassed 708 runs from 14 matches at an average of 64.36 and a strike rate of 155.60. If he gets his eye in, Rajasthan bowlers would be in for a rough night.
Probable Best Bowler: Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal had a terrific start to IPL 2024 but his performances have alarmingly dipped as the season went along. In 13 matches, Chahal has bagged 17 wickets at an average of 27.59. The experienced campaigner doesn’t have a great record against his former side but there is no doubt about his quality. Chahal could turn up the heat at this in this high-voltage clash.
RCB vs RR Match Prediction.
Scenario 1
Rajasthan Royals win the toss and bowl
Power Play score – 50-60
First Innings Score – 170-180
Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the match
Scenario 2
Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the toss and bowl
Power Play Score – 45-55
First Innings Score – 160-170
Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the match