Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey

IPL 2019: RR vs RCB Preview Dream11 Prediction. Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Preview Dream11 Prediction

Co-written by N.S. Shekhawat

Two top four challengers fighting it out at the bottom. With both sides sitting on no wins, we are already heading into must-win territory. If you begin falling too far behind the pack, chances of catching up are slim, given how competitive IPL 2019 looks.

Rajasthan Royals have played good cricket at times this season. However, they have not built on their good moments. They had their chances against CSK, failing to chase the target of 176, even with dew all over the place. Also, RR need Steve Smith to fire, after scoring 28 off 30 balls, in conjunction with Jaydev Unadkat who continues to not justify his price tag. Can RR get their first win?

Imagine having Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Shimron Hetmyer among others and not winning a single game. You have to feel sorry for Royal Challengers Bangalore fans as they sit bottom with a net run rate of -2.413. They are a team with superstar players, but are not a superstar team. This game could be one where they change their combinations, such as Virat Kohli opening, Heinrich Klaasen possibly getting a chance, and so too Tim Southee and Marcus Stoinis (if available). They need their bowlers to deliver what seems like a miracle right now. Can RCB get their season going?

Also read: Pakistan smashed! Funny Pakistan vs Australia ODI Series Player Ratings

Key to a RR win

Playing in home conditions, backed by a strong record at Sawai Masingh Stadium, RR have to back themselves with the bat. They had the start from hell against CSK, with the middle order rallying to give them some sort of chance to chase the target of 176. Here, against an RCB attack looking shot on confidence, Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Buttler and second-game centurion Sanju Samson will be key in delivering a strong start. With the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Steve Smith and Ben Stokes in the ranks, RR have what it takes to put together a strong batting performance.

There has also been promising signs with the ball. Dhawal Kulkarni has been solid in the powerplay, in conjunction with Jofra Archer who has had an excellent start to IPL 2019. However, RR would be wise to utilise their spinners, who ran riot vs RCB at Sawai Masingh Stadium in the crunch match before the IPL 2018 playoffs. With Jaydev Unadkat struggling again, the onus is also on he and the seamers to provide good support in the bowling attack. Can RR get the better of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to pile the pressure on RCB’s remaining batsmen?

Key to an RCB win

“Nothing went right for us from ball one”, said skipper Virat Kohli. RCB’s bowling was always going to be an issue for them heading into the tournament. It has been an issue for years. Tonight, though, their bowlers have to step up and win the battle against RR’s top order, lead by the dangerous Jos Buttler. Umesh Yadav, mighty expensive vs SRH, has to bounce back, along with the rest of the bowling attack that went the distance. Surely the time for Tim Southee or Nathan Coulter-Nile?

Also, while the bowling has been poor, the batting certainly hasn’t been much better. They were bowled out for 70 on the opening night, albeit on a difficult Chennai track. Then, on a pitch where both Jonny Bairstow and David Warner smashed centuries, only one batsman in the top six made double figures (Parthiv Patel: 11). Tonight, the stage is set for AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli, along with Shimron Hetmyer (if picked) who has not delivered so far in IPL 2019. Will RCB have a good night out vs an RR side that can be expensive?

Possible Playing 11

Ashton Turner is now available for RR. N.S. Shekhawat believes that RR should play him over Steve Smith. However, I feel RR will persist with the former Australian captain.

RR: 1. Ajinkya Rahane (c), 2. Jos Buttler (wk), 3. Sanju Samson, 4. Rahul Tripathi, 5. Steven Smith, 6. Ben Stokes, 7. K Gowtham, 8. Shreyas Gopal, 9. Jofra Archer, 10. Jaydev Unadkat, 11. Varun Aaron

Also read: Pakistan smashed! Funny Pakistan vs Australia ODI Series Player Ratings

There could be a host of changes for RCB. Marcus Stoinis could be available, and might replace Colin de Grandhomme. Also, Nathan Coulter-Nile has linked up with the squad, and could replace the misfiring Moeen Ali. As result there might not be room for Tim Southee again.

N.S. Shekhawat’s RCB XI: 1. V Kohli (c), 2. Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 3. Gurkeerat Singh Mann, 4. AB de Villiers, 5. Shivam Dube, 6. Marcus Stoinis/Colin de Grandhomme, 7. Washington Sundar, 8. Umesh Yadav, 9. Yuzvendra Chahal, 10. Tim Southee, 11. N Saini

My RCB XI: 1. Parthiv Patel (wk), 2. Virat Kohli (c), 3. AB de Villiers, 4. Shimron Hetmyer, 5. Shivam Dube, 6. Marcus Stoinis/Colin de Grandhomme, 7. Prayas Ray Burman, 8. Nathan Coulter-Nile/Tim Southee, 9. Umesh Yadav, 10. Mohammad Siraj, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal

Dream11 Prediction

Opinion: Did Dream11 make the right call to change the deadline time?

Key stats and points:

• Jos Buttler has much higher points ceiling than Parthiv Patel. Also, Patel averages just 21 vs RR in 14 matches. Jos Buttler strikes at 176.92 in five matches vs RCB (avg 28.75).
• Virat Kohli, surprisingly, has a poor record vs RR. In 17 matches, he has scored 319 runs at 21.27, with SR of 102.24. However, a champion can never be written off.
• AB de Villiers could be the better pick, averaging 46.50 (SR 140.55) vs RR in 15 innings.
• Rahul Tripathi offers fine value. He scored 80* (58) in his last innings vs RCB, and is coming off 39 (24) vs CSK.
• Ajinkya Rahane is worth considering. He has three fifties and a century vs RCB in 17 innings. This is his only IPL hundred.
• Sanju Samson scored a golden duck last time out vs RCB, but he did score 92* (45) in the first meeting of IPL 2018. He scored a century vs SRH just two matches ago.
• Ben Stokes could be starting to find his feet, looking to build on his four wickets in three games, plus his excellent 46 (26) vs CSK last game.
• Marcus Stoinis had a poor series vs Pakistan. However, he did have an amazing BBL campaign, averaging 62.40 in ten games as opening batsman. Will he fire right away?
• Shreyas Gopal vs RCB in IPL 2018: 8 overs, 38 runs, 6 wickets.
• Jofra Archer was expensive vs CSK, but his other two games read: 8 overs, 34 runs, 2 wickets. He also scored a brisk 24* vs CSK, so can bat if needed.
• Umesh Yadav took 3/25 at this ground in IPL 2018.
• Nathan Coulter-Nile averages 15.20 in IPL. Also, he averages 14.40 in the death overs.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-Head: Matches 18, RR 9, RCB 8, NR 1
• RCB have won just four of 14 IPL games outside of Bengaluru since the start of IPL 2017.
• Virat Kohli will captain his 100th IPL game today. He will be the third to achieve this behind MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir.
• Jofra Archer has an economy rate of 6.30. The other RR seamers have an economy of 11.30 combined.
• RR won a playoffs spot over RCB last season with a 30-run win at Sawai Masingh Stadium.

Match Prediction

A tough one to pick.

RR have been in all three of their matches, failing to win the crucial moments. RCB were unlucky not to beat MI, but are on the mat after two thrashings away from home.

They have quality in their side, but they are just not firing, which is why I will pick RR to win at their beloved home ground.

Thanks for reading!