IPL 2022 | RR vs RCB | Match 39 Preview, Predictions, Probable XI, CREX XI

A cracking game awaits at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, on Tuesday as two Royal sides, Rajasthan and Bangalore, take on each other in the 39th encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.  

Royal Challengers Bangalore continued their "one surprising game per season" trend that they have been following for quite some years now. They were crumbled for a meagre total of 68 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous game. 

The fact that none of their batters could cross the 10-run mark except Glenn Maxwell and Prabhudessai gives an account of the nightmarish game they are coming off. 

Overall, Faf du Plessis-led unit has played eight matches so far, where they won 5 games and lost 3. With 10 points and a net run rate of -0.472, Bangalore sits at the fifth spot on the points table. 

The Challengers have a very good squad, and they will be keen to win the upcoming match and compensate for their NRR, which saw a massive dip after their embarrassing defeat against SRH in their most recent encounter. However, Faf du Plessis needs to be more consistent with the bat, while Virat Kohli's form is a concern as he is coming off two back-to-back golden ducks.  

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals are playing as a complete unit in the tournament, which has been the main reason behind their success. The third-placed Royals registered a thrilling 15-run victory in their last contest against Delhi Capitals.  

Batting first, Rajasthan had posted 222 runs on the board – the highest score of this season, while losing just two wickets in 20 overs. The English opener Jos Buttler (116 runs off 65 balls) displayed his fantastic batting agilities as he scored his third century of the ongoing edition of IPL. 

Delhi Capitals, in reply, could only reach 207-8 and eventually lost the match by 15 runs. Prasidh Krishna shined with the ball as he picked three wickets in four overs while conceding only 22 runs. 

Heading into their eighth game, Sanju Samson and the unit will look to simulate the same performance and sustain their winning momentum in the tournament. However, it will not be an easy task against star-studded RCB, who have already beaten them once in the ongoing edition of the IPL. 

Match Details:

Match: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 39

Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Date & Time: 26th April at 7:30 PM IST & Local Time

Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar  

Pitch Report: 

The pitch at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium has a good pace and bounce, which means there will be something for both the departments. Six matches have been played at this venue, where both the teams batting first and chasing have won 3 games each. Still, going with the trend, both teams will be delighted to bowl first after winning the toss. 

Pitch Stats [Last 5 Matches]:

Matches Played: 5

Matches Won Batting First: 2

Matches Won Bowling First: 3

Average 1st Inning Score: 170

Average 2nd Inning Score: 165

RCB vs RR Head-To-Head:

Matches Played: 26

RR Won: 10

RCB Won: 13

No Result: 3

Key Matchups:

Maxwell vs Chahal: 120/5 at 171 SR

Faf du Plessis vs Boult: 52/3 at 94 SR

Dinesh Karthik vs Chahal: 33/3 at 82 SR

Jos Buttler vs Siraj: 27/1 at 117 SR

Samson vs Siraj: 20/2 at 133 SR 

Injury Update/Players' Availability: 

Both the teams are expected to play with the same playing combination. 

Squads: 

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Faf du Plessis (C), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, Siddarth Kaul, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Jason Behrendorff, Chama V Milind, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Akash Deep, Aneeshwar Gautam. 

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, KC Cariappa, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Rassie van der Dussen, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Garhwal. 

Probable Playing XI: 

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Anuj Rawat, Faf du Plessis (C), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suyash Prabhudessai, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj.

Rajasthan Royals

Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Riyan Parag, Karun Nair, Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Obed McCoy, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.

CREX XI Suggestion:

Wicket-Keeper: Dinesh Karthik, Jos Buttler

Batters: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal

All-Rounders: Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed

Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy

Captain: Jos Buttler

Vice-Captain: Glenn Maxwell