IPL 2020 Match Preview RCB vs RR: Battle of Royals to decide table-topper

Royal Challengers Bangalore never had it so good in the beginning of their IPL campaign in the first three matches for last half a decade. It’s still difficult to believe that they have beaten a seasoned team like Mumbai Indians in a super over contest in the last encounter. Similarly, Rajasthan Royals too has surprised everyone with two wins out of three matches like RCB despite missing the services of talismanic Ben Stokes. No one would have thought that when the first day game (3:30PM IST) of the IPL 2020 will be played Virat Kohli and Steven Smith would be fighting for the top slot in the points table. That’s how the script has unfolded for both teams who have got four points each.

“Our aim is to win the IPL title. Virat (Kohli), ABD (A.B. de Villiers) and everyone else says that there is a different, special feeling in the team this year. There is a positive energy among everyone in the group. My personal goal is to win the trophy for RCB,” leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said, in a media interaction on Thursday. Clearly, Chahal and his team are oblivious of the fact that majority of runs have been scored by the new opening pair of Devdutt Padikkal and Aaron Finch. And, their perennial death over problems remains same as RCB have a disastrous economy rate of 13.7 in the last five overs of an innings in this season.

Aap mujhe bhoole toh nahi RCB!, my name is Gopal!

Anyone who can get Virat Kohli every third ball even in gully cricket will have a bragging right for posterity. And, if you add AB de Villiers’ dismissal every 7th ball in that CV, you will think of a genius. Rajasthan’s Shreyas Gopal may never be regarded as a genius but the leg-spinner has got that kind of enviable record against two of the most accomplished batsmen of cricket.  Gopal has dismissed de Villiers four times ( 28 balls) and  Kohli thrice in 12 balls! It is a pity that Gopal has not been able to generate the same kind of hype which is so typical of any IPL performance. It’s quite incredible to find that since 2018 only Rashid Khan (42) and Chahal (35) have got picked up more wickets than him as a spinner in the IPL.

Kohli’s form

You can expect the law of averages working for RCB captain Virat Kohli who has uncharacteristically managed just 18(14,1 and 3) runs in three outings so far. Expect an interesting battle ahead with Royals’ Jofra Archer who may have got just three wickets but his economy-rate (7.50) indicates that no one is taking chances against him.

Both teams are expected to go with three pacers and three spinners, a luxury few teams have. While the pacers in Abu Dhabi in this IPL have picked up more wickets (29) than the spinners (15), the slow bowlers have got a better economy rate of 7.4 than pacers (8.2).

Overall (HEAD-TO-HEAD) encounters put RR in advantageous situation (10 wins and 8 loss out of 20 with 2 games no results) and even the last 5 matches where RCB has won only once. But all this count for little as the both teams are evenly placed to outdo each other.

LIKELY XI RCB: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (wk), Shivam Dube, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Isuru Udana, Washington Sundar, Adam Zampa, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal

LIKELY XI RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler (wk), Sanju Samson, Steve Smith (c), Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat

(Vimal Kumar is a senior sports journalist who has covered multiple cricket world cups and Rio Olympics in the last two decades. Vimal is also the author of Sachin: Cricketer Of The Century and The Cricket Fanatic’s Essential Guide.)

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