Big picture
A power-packed Rajasthan Royals have turned it on already this IPL, winning two matches after posting scores of 193 and 210, and would be keen to extend their stay at the top of the table, when they run into Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium.
Having finished second from bottom in 2021 with just five wins from 14 matches, Royals appear to have ticked all the boxes this time, on the evidence so far. Their batting approach has been markedly different, with a run rate in excess of 8.5 in both games. Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson have hit a total of 16 sixes and they also have the likes of Devdutt Padikkal and Shimron Hetmyer, who can notch up big hits without spending too much time in the middle. While teams generally tend to slow down in the middle overs, Royals have scored at 10.07 runs per over in this phase, the highest for any team in IPL 2022.
So far, 200-plus totals have been chased down two of the three times they have been put up, but Royals have defended well in both their games. Barring Nathan Coulter-Nile, who sat out the second match after pulling up in the first with a leg injury, all of their frontline bowlers have been among the wickets, and Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin, who have come together in a dream spin combination, as well as Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna boast economy rates under seven. These are early days, but if Royals continue playing with the same intent, they might be serious title contenders.
On Tuesday, Chahal will be up against his old team Royal Challengers, for whom he thrived from 2014 to 2021. He was the leading wicket-taker for the franchise in four of those seasons and was the highest wicket-taker overall for them with 139 strikes. Going by his form, the legspinner could be a handful for the Royal Challengers batters.
Royal Challengers are coming off a five-day break, having lost their opener against Punjab Kings despite posting 205 and surviving a scare while chasing 129 against Kolkata Knight Riders to collect their first points. A strong start from the top order of Faf du Plessis, Anuj Rawat and Virat Kohli would be key to their chances.
In the bowling department, Royal Challengers would be relying heavily on Wanindu Hasaranga and Harshal Patel, who had a breakthrough IPL 2021 and has carried that form into this year with three wickets at an economy rate of 5.87. Hasaranga, with five wickets to his name from two innings, has provided crucial breakthroughs and should be one of the bowlers Royals have to be wary of.
In the news
Royal Challengers are likely to stick with du Plessis, Sherfane Rutherford, David Willey and Hasaranga, with Australian quicks Jason Behrendorff and Josh Hazlewood available for selection only from April 6. Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell will be available only from April 9.
Likely XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Anuj Rawat, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 David Willey, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Akash Deep
Rajasthan Royals:: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Navdeep Saini, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal
Strategy punt
Kohli has an exceptional record against Prasidh and Boult and his strike rate jumps to 140 or above against these pacers in T20s. Kohli has also gotten out only once to Ashwin in 20 innings and averages 162 against the offspinner and will be looking to dominate again.
Hasaranga has troubled Samson in the past, dismissing him thrice in four T20s in the span of 11 balls. Buttler also has had little success against Hasaranga - he is yet to hit a boundary in the 23 balls that he has faced from him in the T20s.
Stats that matter
du Plessis has hit 30 sixes since IPL 2021, the second-most after KL Rahul's 33.
Hetmyer has a strike rate of 248.14 in this edition, the highest for a batter who has scored 50 runs.
Chahal has picked up 23 wickets in 17 matches since IPL 2021, the most by a spinner.
