IPL 2023: RR Opt To Field Against RCB; Aim To Tighten Grip On Top Spot

Bengaluru: On Sunday, April 23, the 32nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 will take place at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR).

RCB are now ranked fifth in the points table and have won three of the six games they have played so far. In their last outing against Punjab Kings, RCB raked up 174 runs in their 20 overs riding on the back of superb fifties by the captain Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli. In response, the Kings could only muster 150 runs in 18.2 overs, falling 24 runs short.

Mohammed Siraj bowled his heart out in the last game, recording figures of 4-21, and was named Player of the Match.

The table toppers will get much-needed relief from the dreads of their home turf as they were choked for runs by the Lucknow Super Giants at Jaipur. However, Buttler will be licking his lips to play in the same stadium where 33 Sixes were struck in the last game, even though it was a night game.

The one conclusion that Buttler and company should take from the RCB-CSK sixathon is that the home team is well-prepared to match his team in using their batting brawn. This season, the RCB trio of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Glenn Maxwell have scored at strike rates of 166.50, 142.34, and 195.55 each, accounting for 74% of their team’s total runs.

The most apparent prediction for a stadium of this size and the teams that start with comparable skills is that Sixes will be hit regularly. Trent Boult and Mohammed Siraj are bowlers who are capable of turning the narrative on its head and determining the course of the game at the start, even in situations where margins are slim.