Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals Predictions: RCB has not have success at home

Playing in their seventh game of the season Royal Challengers Bangalore will welcome Rajasthan Royals in the 32nd game of the season at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 23rd April. Rajasthan will be looking to get back from the defeat against LSG and RCB will be looking to build on their win at home. Who will win this game?

Royal Challengers Bangalore

In their latest away match, the Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated the Punjab Kings, boosting their confidence and putting them back in contention for a top-four spot on the points table. Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis have been in exceptional form, scoring four half-centuries each in the six matches played so far. They achieved their second-century partnership of the season against the Punjab Kings and will be looking to repeat the performance in the upcoming match. Glen Maxwell is another crucial player for RCB as he has been striking the ball well and has the potential to be a game-changer. However, RCB heavily relies on these three players as they score almost 70% of all their runs. Kohli's challenge against the RR spinners will be interesting, and Maxwell's performance could be critical in this game.

RCB's middle and lower-order batting has been a weak point, with Dinesh Kartik, Mahipal Lomror, and Shahbaz Ahmed struggling to score runs. Lomror has been particularly underwhelming this season, and betting under on his performance could be a viable option. Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga's return adds depth to the batting line-up, but he hasn't had much chance to showcase his talent with the bat. Mohammad Siraj has been impressive with the ball, picking up a 4-wicket haul in the last match and leading the race for the Purple cap. However, Wayne Parnell and Harshal Patel have been expensive despite taking wickets.

The spinners have had mixed performances, and RCB lacks the quality spin bowling that Rajasthan has.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Predicted Lineup

Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Wayne Parnell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Mohammed Siraj

Rajasthan Royals

The Rajasthan Royals have been performing consistently well this season and held the top spot on the points table for almost a week before suffering a loss against the Lucknow Super Giants, which has now pushed them down. However, they are determined to get back on track and resume their winning ways.

In their last game, the Royals experienced a rare middle-order failure despite a good start from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, and they failed to chase down a modest target of 155 runs. Nonetheless, the team remains positive and is expected to come back stronger.

Although the form of Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal has been somewhat inconsistent, they have already scored enough runs to play a crucial role in this match. Shimron Hetmeyer and Dhruv Jurel have been consistent performers, and the Royals will depend on them to provide a good finish in the death overs.

The Royals are known for their ability to hit sixes, and on a small ground, this could be a formidable batting lineup that would be difficult to stop.

The Royals possess a well-balanced bowling unit, led by Yuzvendra Chahal, who has picked up 11 wickets and is in contention for the Purple Cap for the second consecutive season. Ravichandran Ashwin has provided excellent support, while Trent Boult will lead the pace attack alongside Sandeep Sharma, with Jason Holder likely to contribute during the middle overs.

Chahal has a track record of success at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during his time with RCB, and Trent Boult is likely to target Virat Kohli early in the game. Both players are expected to be key performers in this matchup.

Rajasthan Royals Predicted Lineup

Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

Expert betting tips

The Chinnaswamy Stadium is known for its batting-friendly wicket and high-scoring encounters, but the average score for a day game is slightly lower than a day/night fixture. Therefore, any score above 180 could prove challenging to chase. Given the conditions, it is expected that the team winning the toss will choose to field first. This is a common strategy in Bengaluru due to the unpredictability of the pitch, as seen in previous matches where RCB failed to defend a score of 211, but almost chased down 227 against CSK. We expect Rajasthan to bounce back stronger and win this game.