Last Updated on 2 weeks by Charbel Coorey

RCB vs RR Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report: IPL 2022 Match 39 | BLR vs RR Dream11 Prediction Today | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals Key Players | Pune Pitch Report

Royal Challengers Bangalore, who were sitting near the top of the IPL 2022 table, dropped out of the top four courtesy of a nightmare batting performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their 68 all-out is not only a potential momentum stopper, but it was mighty hit to their net run rate.

So, RCB desperately need to bounce back. Their top order remains an issue, with Virat Kohli stunning the cricketing world with two straight golden ducks. Faf du Plessis has played just the two knocks of note so far, and when the middle order couldn’t bail them out as they did earlier in the season, it saw disaster unfold.

They will have to be on their game today against the Rajasthan Royals. Led by the unbelievable Jos Buttler, who is now just one behind Kohli’s record of four centuries in a single season, the Royals continue to put big totals on the board. However, one area of concern is that they continue to concede big totals, with their death-bowling economy rate the third-worst of any team so far in IPL 2022.

So, who will come out on top in this Royal clash? It has the potential to be a classic, but it will be a test of nerves and skill as playoff places are at a premium given the addition of two new, capable teams.

Possible Playing 11

RCB have a top order problem. They may look at replacing Anuj Rawat to help solve it.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1. Faf du Plessis (c), 2. Anuj Rawat/Rajat Patidar/Mahipal Lomror, 3. Virat Kohli, 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5. Shahbaz Ahmed, 6. Suyash Prabhudessai, 7. Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8. Wanindu Hasaranga, 9. Harshal Patel, 10. Mohammed Siraj, 11. Josh Hazlewood

There are three key things Rajasthan Royals need to look at if they are to win their first IPL title since 2008. They all relate to their playing XI. Perhaps Jimmy Neesham could come in for Obed McCoy and a frontline domestic pacer option for Riyan Parag, despite how highly the Royals rate the youngster.

Rajasthan Royals: 1. Jos Buttler, 2. Devdutt Padikkal, 3. Sanju Samson (c & wk), 4. Shimron Hetmyer, 5. Karun Nair, 6. Riyan Parag/Navdeep Saini, 7. R Ashwin, 8. Obed McCoy/Jimmy Neesham, 9. Trent Boult, 10. Prasidh Krishna, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

• It is an unprecedented run of form for the struggling Virat Kohli. He has scored just 78 runs in his last seven innings, including consecutive first-ball ducks. Also, the Royals are a team he hasn’t always enjoyed success against, with an average of 29.20 in 24 innings (SR 116.33).
• The silver lining is that Kohli has never been dismissed by Boult in T20s (50 runs in 42 balls). Also, he has scored 56 off 27 vs Krishna (one dismissal) and 162 off 127 vs Ashwin (one dismissal).
• Faf du Plessis also needs a bit of a turnaround as he has scored just 120 runs in seven innings on this ground at an average of 17.14 and strike rate of 96.77. He also has similar numbers to Kohli vs Royals, with an average of 29.45 in 11 innings (SR 135.00).
• Like du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell does not have the best of numbers on this ground: 7 inns, 82 runs, avg. 16.40, SR 154.72. However, he does have solid stats against the Royals, with 211 runs in nine innings at an average of 35.17 and strike rate of 156.30.
• Also, Maxwell usually dominates Ashwin in T20s, with 91 runs in just 41 balls (one dismissal).
• Dinesh Karthik was player of the match in the RR-RCB match earlier this season. He smashed 44* off 23 balls to lead RCB to victory from a position where they needed 80 off 40 balls at one stage. Karthik has scored 94 off 63 vs Ashwin (one dismissal) and 24 off 18 vs Boult (one dismissal).
• Expect RCB to bring Wanindu Hasaranga on when Sanju Samson walks out to bat. He has dismissed him four times in 15 deliveries, including a soft dismissal between the teams earlier this season.
• Harshal Patel has taken 13 wickets in six matches for RCB vs RR, at an average of 13.00 and economy rate of 7.35. He took 1/18 with 11 dots earlier this season, where he dismissed Devdutt Padikkal.

Rajasthan Royals:

• The law of averages say that Jos Buttler can’t keep going the way he is. But he continues to defy those laws. The brilliant opener has smashed five 50+ scores in seven matches this season (three centuries), including a 47-ball 70* against RCB earlier this season.
• Since the start of 2018, Buttler has scored 201 runs in six matches vs RCB at an average of 41.20 and strike rate of 138.26.
• Devdutt Padikkal put on a partnership of 70 with Buttler against RCB earlier this season. Padikkal, who is coming off an excellent half-century vs Capitals on Friday, scored 37 off 29 vs RCB. He has scored five 20+ scores in seven matches in IPL 2022.
• Sanju Samson is striking at 171.29 this season, which is the sixth-highest among players with at least 200 runs. However, can he overcome a poor record vs Hasaranga and moderate numbers vs RCB (avg. 22.33)?
• Shimron Hetmyer has smashed 166 runs in the death overs in IPL 2022; the most of any player. He scored 31 off 17 balls in this phase against RCB earlier this season.
• Expect the Royals to employ Yuzvendra Chahal, this season’s Purple Cap holder, to Maxwell early. The leg-spinner has dismissed him three times in 25 deliveries in the IPL, whilst only conceding 22. Also, they could look to keep some Chahal overs for Karthik – Chahal has dismissed him three times in 40 deliveries, whilst conceding just 33 runs.
• Against SRH, RCB lost their first four wickets to the left-arm seam of Marco Jansen and T Natarajan. So, an opportunity awaits Trent Boult to have a similar impact. In fact, he has figures of 3/50 in 50 deliveries vs du Plessis and 2/26 off 29 balls vs Maxwell in T20s.
• R Ashwin is in good touch. The off-spinner has taken three wickets in his last two matches, and RR could look to use him early vs du Plessis. He has dismissed the RCB captain three times in 50 deliveries in T20s, whilst conceding just 59.

Other Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 26, RCB 13, RR 10, N/R 3.
• RCB have won the past five matches between the teams, including the meeting earlier this season.
• RCB could look to use Wanindu Hasaranga to keep Jos Buttler quiet early. Buttler has scored just 11 runs in 23 deliveries against the Sri Lankan.
• Interestingly, while Chahal has had a good record vs Maxwell in the IPL, Maxwell has dominated Chahal in T20 Internationals, taking 98 runs off just 45 balls (two dismissals).
• Josh Hazlewood has taken 50 wickets in 31 T20s since the start of 2021 at an average of 17.02 and economy rate below eight.

Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium Pune Pitch Report and Weather

This is the first match at Pune since April 17. So, we can expect a fresh surface. The average first innings score on this ground in IPL 2022 is 176.67, and the team batting first and second have won three games each.

Each time a team batting first scored 170+, they won (210 by Royals, 171 by Titans and 198 by Punjab). Every score below 170 was chased on this ground (161 by Mumbai, 151 by Mumbai and 169 by Super Kings).

A very hot day is forecast in Pune, with temperatures hovering around the early 40s. Dew could be a factor.

RCB vs RR Dream11 Prediction 26 April 2022

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Jos Buttler
• Batsmen: Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer
• All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell
• Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Josh Hazlewood

Match Prediction

170+ will be key batting first. Both sides are capable of defending that sort of total.