Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals: IPL 2022 match preview

RHODRI EVANS: The Cricketer takes a look at the next fixture in the 2022 Indian Premier League season

What's the match?

Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

When is it taking place?

The match will be played on Tuesday, April 26 with the first ball being bowled at 7.30pm local time (3pm GMT).

Where is the match being played?

The teams will face off at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

Who's got the form?

Both sides come into this fixture with five wins already under their belts - the Royals from seven games and RCB from eight. Rajasthan sit third in the table, pipping RCB into the top four thanks to their superior net run rate.

A win for either side will cement their respective places in the top four, with Bangalore a comfortable four points ahead of the chasing pack of Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Punjab Kings.

The Royals won a high scoring encounter with Delhi Capitals on April 22 by 15 runs, with Jos Buttler playing another masterful innings to notch his third hundred of the IPL season. Controversy over a close waist-high no-ball decision in the last over of the DC chase threatened to derail the match, with DC coaching staff striding onto the pitch after the batting side felt they were harshly treated.

After a promising start to the campaign, Faf du Plessis’ RCB were demolished by Sunrisers Hyderabad’s seam attack, falling to 68 all out and a nine wicket defeat. 21-year-old South African left-arm quick Marco Jansen was the pick of an impressive bunch, bowling countryman du Plessis, and then the prize of Virat Kohli for a first ball duck the very next ball.

These two have meet already this season, with RCB taking a four-wicket win thanks to the sublime finishing of Shahbaz Ahmed and Dinesh Karthik. RCB have won the past five meetings between the two sides.

^{Dinesh Karthik}

What's the key match-up?

Buttler has already scored almost 500 runs in this year’s edition and is striking at a better rate than all of the rest of the top ten. His ability to play a dual role as both an anchoring opening batter and a destructive power hitter has allowed the likes of Samson and Shimron Hetmyer to play more freely. If RCB are to succeed in getting Buttler for a low score, Josh Hazlewood in the powerplay will be key.

RCB will be keen to see their two best batters get back into form. Kohli and Glenn Maxwell have only been able to score one half-century between them from 13 innings so far this tournament. If Bangalore are to qualify, both will have to start reminding everyone why they are so highly regarded in this format

Head-to-head record

Matches played: 26

Royal Challengers Bangalore wins: 13

Rajasthan Royals wins: 10

No results: 3

What's the weather forecast?

A warm day is expected in Pune, with highs of around 31 degrees at the start of play.

What are the squads?

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Shahbaz Ahamad, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudessai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Luvnith Sisodia (injury replacement: Rajat Patidar), David Willey

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, Jimmy Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell

What are the possible starting XIs?

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal

^{Jos Buttler}

What are the odds?

Both sides are being given the same odds of 10/11 after a close match earlier this season.

What's the prediction?

When you get dismissed for 68, it can be very difficult to bounce back straight away. Because of this, the Royals will be favourites to win this game as they have the momentum and a number of batters in form, including overseas stars Buttler and Hetmyer. RCB depend too heavily on their captain and finisher Karthik, with Kohli and Maxwell so badly out of form.

Where can I watch the game?

In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.

Fans in India can watch all of the action on Star Sports.

Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.

Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.

Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.

The IPL can also be streamed on Disney+ and Hotstar in certain areas.