Rajasthan Royals (RR) are set to host Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 60th match of the Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday, May 14 afternoon. Both RR and RCB find themselves out of the top-four places in the points table this season but remain alive in the race for the playoff qualification with just 11 group-stage matches to go. Rajasthan Royals enter this game after a statement nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their last game. At the same time, Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered a disappointing six-wicket defeat against Mumbai Indians despite posting a 200-run target.
Sanju Samson-led Royals have recorded just two wins from their last five matches as they struggle for consistency this season. They are currently placed in the fifth position with 12 points from 12 games and a win against RCB will guide them to the third position in the table. However, they have recorded just two wins from four games at home this season and lost the most recent game here despite scoring 214 runs while batting first.
On the other hand, Faf du Plessis-led RCB slipped to the seventh position in the points table after their six-wicket defeat against MI. RCB have lost their last two crucial games but are still in contention to finish in the top four to secure playoff qualification in IPL 2023. They have played a game less than Rajasthan but their poor net run rate will keep them in the seventh position if they overcome the 'Royal' encounter.
Pitch Report: RR vs RCB
The pitch at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium has a batting-friendly surface in the shortest format of the game. The average first innings score here is 159 from 50 IPL matches. This season, the pitch has produced mixed results but batters are likely to dominate another game here. Teams batting first have recorded just 17 wins from 50 IPL games here but it's two wins from four matches this season. Teams have recorded 154, 202, 118, and 214 totals while batting first this season so it will be hard to predict the score in the upcoming game.
Will Toss Matter?
Yes, it will. Teams batting first have won only 17 of 50 IPL matches here so far. Rajasthan scored 214 runs while batting first in the most recent game here but they were not able to defend it. Teams batting second have won two and lost two matches this season but teams will prefer batting second on Sunday.
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur - The Numbers Game
Basic IPL Stats
- Total matches: 50
- Matches won batting first: 17
- Matches won bowling first: 33
Average IPL Stats
- Average 1st Innings scores: 159
- Average 2nd Innings scores: 147
Score Stats for IPL matches
- Highest total recorded - 217/6 (20 Ov) by SRH vs RR
- Highest score chased - 214/2 (20 Ov) by SRH vs RR
- Lowest score defended - 144/6 (20 Ov) by RR vs KKR
Full Squads -
Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler (wk), Sanju Samson(c & wk), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal, Donavon Ferreira (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Murugan Ashwin, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Jason Holder, Kuldip Yadav, Obed McCoy, KC Cariappa, Kuldeep Sen, Abdul Basith, Kunal Singh Rathore (wk), Akash Vasisht
Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Kedar Jadhav, Michael Bracewell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Karn Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Deep, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Himanshu Sharma, Wayne Parnell, Manoj Bhandage, Sonu Yadav, Finn Allen (wk), Siddarth Kaul
