Former champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore as Sanju Samson-led side won the toss and elected to bowl first in their Indian Premier League's (IPL) 2022 Qualifier 2 clash on Friday (May 27).
"We will bowl first. The wicket is a bit sticky and hopefully it will help our bowlers first-up. Yesterday we had a good practice session. Everyone is happy and excited for the game. Emotionally everyone is connected to the team and the franchise. Important to keep calm and cut off the noise, trust yourself and just another game of cricket. No changes for us," Samson said after winning the toss.
"We were actually looking to bat first, it looks a good pitch and we believe runs on the board in a big game will count in our favour. Guys had a good rest yesterday, but today everyone has turned up really fresh and pumped up for the game. Tonight we are playing a very strong team and it is all about doing the right things. It's an amazing ground, incredible to play in front of so many people. We are playing the same team," RCB skipper Faf Du Plessis said before the match.
RCB bowlers will have to be on the top of their game against a formidable Rajasthan batting line up which rely heavily on Jos Buttler and skipper Sanju Samson. Both scored against Gujarat but it did not prove to be enough.
Pitch report
"The (boundary) pockets are a little bit bigger. There are no cracks, got great even covering of grass and I expect batting is gonna be really good. Average scoring winning is 175," Australia legend Matthew Hayden analyses the Narendra Modi Stadium's pitch.
Rajasthan Royals' Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(w), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj.
