Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will complete their first half of IPL 2023 season with the game against Rajasthan Royals later today. It is a crucial encounter for them given the mid-table juggle already in the points table. They have won three and lost as many matches so far in six outings and a win will keep them alongside five other teams with four wins each so far. RCB last played against PBKS in the afternoon game at the same venue and defended a score to win by 24 runs.
Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, lost at home in the previous outing against Lucknow Supe Giants failing to chase down 155 runs. However, they are sitting pretty at the top of the points table with four wins in six matches and a win here will help them solidify their numero uno position. But it won't be easy for the Royals as they struggled on a slow pitch in Jaipur and a similar sort of a surface is expected at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Match Details
Match: IPL 2023, Match 32
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Time: 3:30 PM IST
Broadcast and Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and JioCinema
Probable Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Wayne Parnell
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravi Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
Pitch and Weather Report
The pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium behaves a little bit differently when the game is played in the afternoon. The ball comes onto the bat a bit slowly and the slower bowlers are expected to dominate. Batting first will be a good option in this game.
Well, the Bangalore weather continues to be unpredictable. There is a chance of thunderstorm during the match and there is around 50% chance of rain in this encounter.
Predictions
Best Batter of the Match: Virat Kohli
This man is in some amazing form this season and has already smacked four half-centuries in six outings. Kohli is the top run-getter among Indian cricketers in this IPL having scored 279 runs at a healthy strike rate of 142.35. His attacking instincts are needed to take over against the Royals irrespective of when RCB are batting.
Best Bowler of the Match: Wanindu Hasaranga
The Sri Lanka leg-spinner has a brilliant record against Sanju Samson in T20 cricket. If RCB bat first, Hasaranga will have a major role to play later in the game. Even if they bowl first, the ball is expected to get stuck into the pitch making hitting tough off spinners. So Hasaranga has a good chance to stamp his authority in this encounter.
Who will win the Match: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
