Heading towards the 16th game of the season between RR and RCB in Guwahati, this will be the last match at the venue, so a large crowd is expected to turn up to see their favourite stars, especially Virat Kohli, as they haven’t had many chances to watch him live.
Rajasthan Royals come into this game on the back of a couple of close wins. However, apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, no RR batter has averaged a strike rate above 135 against spin since 2022 in the IPL. That opens the door for Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma to control the middle overs and apply pressure.
RR Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira, Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma,Ravi Bishnoi,Brijesh Sharma
Impact subs: Nandre Burger, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh
Injuries/Unavailabilities: All players are fit and available for selection
Watch Live Streaming: Fans can watch the RR vs RCB match live on the app and website of JioHotstar.
Toss Time: 7:00 PM
Pitch report: Unlike earlier forecasts, rain is not expected during match hours today. Light drizzle may occur in the morning, with cloudy spells possible at times throughout the game.
Head to head: RCB have enjoyed a narrow 17-14 lead over Royals, having won four out of the six encounters between the two sides since 2023
RCB have been pushing hard this season, building momentum with each game. Against them, Ravi Bishnoi and Sandeep Sharma have previously kept Virat Kohli and Phil Salt relatively quiet, while also troubling Tim David in key moments.
Expect the leg-spinner and the clever variations of Sandeep Sharma to come into play during the Powerplay if the openers settle in. They could also be used later at the death to try and slow down the scoring and control the pressure phases.
RCB Probable XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy
Impact subs: Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh
Injuries/Unavailabilities: All players are fit and available for selection, Josh Hazlewood’s return date is still not confirmed.
As Guwahati’s IPL fixtures draw towards a close, a group of teenagers were still seen waiting patiently outside the stadium gates. Most wore jerseys of Virat Kohli, for RCB, the focus is on carrying forward last season’s momentum, while the Royals are working on moving past their earlier struggles. It all sets up a compelling contest, built around the duel between RCB’s new-ball bowlers and RR’s top-order batters.