After a dismal outing against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be eager to get back on track when they take on an inconsistent Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their return fixture of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the Dubai International Cricket stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Though RCB remain static at third spot in the standings despite enduring an eight-wicket loss against KXIP on Thursday, Kohli & Co need to tighten their seat belts as the league is now heading towards its business end.
Head to Head: In 21 encounters between the two sides, RR only lead marginally with 10 wins, while conceding 9 defeats (2 abandoned). In their last five matches, RR have won three, while RCB secured their only victory in this season. One match was abandoned due to rain.
At venue: This is their first match in Dubai. Both the sides have played against each other in Abu Dhabi twice.
Let's take a look at the statistical preview ahead of the game:
- Virat Kohli (439) and AB de Villiers (429) are the leading run-scorers of all time in the encounters between both the sides.
- Shreyas Gopal has dismissed RCB captain Virat Kohli on three occasions in 23 deliveries. Kohli, meanwhile, has scored 35 runs off the spinner. It will be an interesting battle between the two as both teams take the field.
- Chris Morris is the only bowler in the tournament to have bowled at an economy rate of less than 5 (4.83). He has bowled 12 overs in the tournament so far.
