Key match stats
Pitch Stats – Sawai Mansingh Stadium
Average first innings score: 158
Average first innings winning score: 178
Average powerplay score: 48
Win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd: 67% / 33%
Team form RR vs RCB
RR: WLLLW
RCB:LLWLW
Recent meetings: RCB won by 7 runs
Preview RR vs RCB
I could write about the various permutations that may come into play based on other results this weekend but the simple truth of the matter is that regardless of what other sides do, this remains a must win match for both Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Neither were helped by Mumbai's thrashing of the top placed Titans and while RR could move back above MI with a win here then RCB know that their inferior net run-rate means that they now have to win all 3 remaining games and probably do so by some convincing margins, in order to progress.
This is a fixture between 2 batting units who have been very reliant on their top order for runs. Will either of these powerful triumvirates come out on top in this match or will it be a case of them cancelling each other out and leaving it down to the other 8 players on both sides to win the game?
Main 3 batsmen for RR and RCB and their contribution to scoring in IPL 2023
Rajasthan's top order has been so dominant in their last 2 matches that the 5 balls that Shimron Hetmyer faced against SRH are the only deliveries that someone other than Jaiswal, Buttler and Samson has played during that time.
In some ways that has helped to protect a middle order that has been misfiring of late but at the same time, it's difficult to imagine that Rajasthan won't need 1 or 2 other batsmen to step up if they are to make it into the playoffs not to mention the final itself. At the moment, with no time in the middle or form behind them, that looks to be a tall order for the likes of Root and Hetmyer.
Meanwhile RCB have picked a bad time of the year to lose form. They've lost 3 of their last 4 matches and each defeat has been by a very comfortable margin. Their bowling attack all went at 10+ an over against a Suryakumar Yadav inspired Mumbai side. While you might argue that with the form that Sky is in at the moment, there's no bowler in the world who could contain him, RCB's attack received similar punishment by DC and KKR in recent matches.
The Sawai Mansigh Stadium has not been used as frequently this season with Rajasthan starting off their campaign with matches in Assam. However, from what we have seen here so far, it's not a wicket where sides are likely to put big runs on the board. The average first innings score here of 158 is 2nd lowest amongst venues used in IPL 2023 and the pitches have generally gotten tougher to score on as the innings and match has progressed.
The IPL records at the Sawai Mansingh stadium this year look like a wicket where you'd want to bat first, make a quick start in the powerplay and then build your way to as high a score as possible. But who knows? RR took the unexpected decision to chase in their game against KKR, while RCB have lost their last 2 games batting first...
RR vs RCB head to head
RCB bowling vs RR batting
Josh Hazlewood has not really hit his straps since coming back into the RCB side which is understandable given that he hadn't bowled in a competitive match for nearly 4 months. Buttler and Jaiswal have been happy to go after the big Aussie early on in previous meetings and they might just fancy their chances of getting RR off to a fast start again in this match.
Hazlewood vs Jaiswal and Buttler T20 head to head
As noted in a couple of blogs last week, RCB are still yet to win a match this season where they've been behind at the 6 over mark and so the onus really is on the Royals to try and prod that particular pressure point. Jaiswal showed great match awareness against KKR to seize on the opportunity presented to him when KKR decided to open with the part-timer Nitish Rana, can he or Buttler find similar momentum against this attack?
The one RCB bowler of late who has looked like he is returning to some kind of form is Wanindu Hasaranga. The diminutive Sri Lankan was struggling with conditions in Bangalore and to get up to speed with the league after missing the first couple of weeks due to international commitments. He's taken 5 wickets in his last 4 games and it's only really the brilliance of Sky in the last match that has seen a batsmen get after him during that same period.
Hasaranga vs Samson T20 head to head
On a pitch where spinners are likely to prosper, RCB may need to turn back to the likes of Shahbaz Ahmed and Karn Sharma. Sharma played in RCB's opening few matches until Hasaranga was available and since then has been used only where spin was expected to dominate (The Ekana and Arun Jaitely). Meanwhile, Shahbaz Ahmed only bowled 4 overs in the 8 games that he's played this season and hasn't featured in any of the last 3 matches for RCB. Again, he might be a player better suited to conditions away from the M Chinnaswamy.
RR bowling vs RCB batting
I can't go a season without highlighting one of my all-time favourite head to heads in T20 cricket.
Sandeep Sharma vs Kohli T20 head to head
Sandeep Sharma seems an unlikely bowler to have one of the best batsmen of his generation listed as a bunny. Of course, Kohli would have been happy to see that no one picked up his nemesis during the auction before injuries in the Royals squad gave Sandeep a chance and he's gone on to bowl more overs of pace this season than any other player in the Royals squad.
Chahal T20 head to head vs current RCB squad
For RCB, the middle overs are very much going to be trial by spin as they come up against one of their former stars in Yuzvendra Chahal. The decision by RCB to let Chahal go whose 4 wicket haul against KKR took him to the top of the list for most IPL wickets of all-time, was a strange one. Can he make them pay today by essentially knocking them out of this year's tournament?
RCB death over batting stats IPL 2023
We've seen this RR pace attack struggle at the back end of innings this season and RCB will be desperate to improve upon their fairly poor returns with the bat during the death overs. The likes of Maxwell and du Plessis are striking at well over 200 during the final 5 overs of an innings but can they bat that deep and if they don't will either of the veterans in Dinesh Karthik or Kedar Jadhav be able to do the business?
All stats used in this blog are from my own databases which are freely accessible below
IPL head to head player stats
IPL player stats by venue
IPL stadium statistics.
Images are my own with the exception of player profiles and highlights within GIFs which are not intended to infringe copyright- read full disclaimer. Background images are used under a creative commons license or otherwise royalty free.