In the 32nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will welcome Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru tomorrow i.e. Sunday, April 23 at 3:30 PM IST.
After a shaky start to the season, RCB are back on track with six points thanks to some outstanding batting performances from the skipper, Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli. Although the opening pair is on fire, fans would like to see more effort from the lower middle-order batters. With their previous match at the PCA stadium going in their favour, the team will be confident from that outing while heading into this upcoming home game.
Another area of concern for RCB is their bowling. The 2016 IPL finalists would expect more from Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, and co. The team is currently relying mainly on Mohammad Siraj‘s outstanding form who has bagged 12 wickets this season, so far.
Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, are having another fantastic IPL season, as the team is comfortably in first place in the league’s points tally. With eight points, RR appear to be a strong contender to acquire a playoff spot. Despite the fact that RR openers, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, are putting on entertaining performances for the fans, the team would need the middle-order batters to contribute as well. Captain Sanju Samson, who had some excellent knocks in recent games, isn’t able to maintain his consistency.
While the 2008 IPL champions lost their last match at home to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), they won’t dwell on it as the team seems to be performing well collectively. RR are even capable of defending a good score at this high-scoring ground with bowlers like Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin bowling effectively. Needless to mention Yuzvendra Chahal, who is returning to his former citadel. With 51 wickets, the right-arm leg-break spinner is the leading wicket-taker at the Chinnaswamy stadium, and he will undoubtedly be RR’s most potent weapon against the home team.
Head-to-Head:
In the head-to-head matches, RCB have a slight advantage over RR. The two teams played 28 games, with RCB winning 13 and the Rajasthan-based team winning 12. RR won their latest contest, the Qualifier 2 of the 2022 season, by seven wickets.
Where-to-watch:
TV: Star Sports Network
OTT: JioCinema