
The cricketing action will continue in IPL 2022 as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will lock horns with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 39 of the ongoing season. The match is set to be held at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium, Pune. The venue will return as host in IPL 15 after a long gap ever since the Covid cases rose up in the Delhi Capitals (DC) camp (shifting two games from Pune to Mumbai).
This will be the third reverse fixture of the season as RCB and RR have already squared off with each other earlier in IPL 15. Back then, the match went down to the wire before Dinesh Karthik-Shahbad Ahmed's finishing knocks propelled RCB to an emphatic four-wicket win in pursuit of a competitive 170. The game was held at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Talking about their current form, RCB are coming into this fixture on the back of a disastrous outing versus Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), where they were bundled out for 68. Thus, they will like to start afresh and come hard against RR, against whom they have been unbeaten in the last five face-offs. RCB still have a solid chance of qualifying for the playoffs, with five wins from eight games. However, they cannot afford to lose grip in the crunch phase of the league stage. They occupy the fifth spot at present.
Meanwhile, Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan are in the third position with five victories from seven outings. While they have had a good run so far, they will like to find answers against Bengaluru to stop the three-time runners-up'sdominance over them.
ALSO READ |From RCB's embarrassing 49 to KKR's woeful 68: Five lowest totals in IPL
Match prediction for RCB vs RR clash:With the venue returning back as hosts after a long gap, both teams might prefer chasing (teams batting second have a 50% win record). Expect another riveting contest with runs on offer. RCB to bounce back and maintain its dominance over RR?