RCB vs RR Live Score: Rajasthan Royals Choose to Hit First Against Royal Challengers Bangalore | Cricket news

RR record in Abu Dhabi.

PLAYING XI

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (week), Shivam Dube, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Washington Sundar, Isuru Udana, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Yuzvendra Chahal

Royals of Rajasthan: Jos Buttler (week), Steven Smith (c), Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Tom Curran, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat

THE CAPTAIN SPEAKS
Virat Kohli: It’s dry hot, but not too bad. We are playing with the same XI. We wanted to hit first because it’s a day game, better get into the game in the first six overs of the game. Putting together a strong team, it’s good to see the young people doing the work for us, that’s what we have focused on. Dube’s contribution, Chahal is always a banker and AB does what he is good at.
Steve Smith: We will hit first. It’s a day game, quite warm here, so we want to hit first and set a goal. We have a change, Lomror enters for Ankit (Rajpoot). It is a long tournament, you are going to win games, lose games. Hopefully we’ll put on a good show today. Ben (Stokes) is a quality player, he joins our team once he arrives.
TEAM NEWS: In RR, Mahipal Lomroro replaces Ankit Rajpoot.
PITCH NEWS: Rajasthan won the toss and Steve Smith decides to hit first.

Hello and welcome back to Timesofindia.com’s continued coverage of the 13th edition of the IPL entering its 15th, which will see the first double-header of the 2020 edition. The first game will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals and the afternoon matches will see Delhi Capitals taking on Kolkata Knight Riders.
the RCB vs RR The game in Abu Dhabi will start at 3:30 pm IST, and the draw, as usual, will take place 30 minutes earlier, at 3 pm IST.
Until then, here is the detailed information Match preview for the RCB vs RR game to whet your appetite:
The first game of the afternoon of this edition of the Indian Premier League will be as much about countering the opposition as it is about adjusting to the conditions. In a Royals battle, Royal Challengers Bangalore will face the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday to usher in the double header. Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi is uncharted territory for both teams who will make their first appearance at the venue this season.
Rajasthan and RCB have four points from three games played, courtesy of two wins and one loss each. The winner is nearing the top of the table, although at this early stage, that is of little consequence. RCB entered the contest after a Super Over victory over the Mumbai Indians, while RR suffered a landslide 37-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday. With both teams looking for consistency, the contest offers interesting subplots.
For starters, renew the relationship between Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. Their rivalry runs deep, both as captains and as top-tier hitters. So far they have shown contrasting forms. Kohli has endured a rare prolonged lean spell, collecting just 18 runs in three games. Twice he has lost to spikers on his left arm, while in the last game he was fired by Rahul Chahar to reinforce the belief that he is vulnerable to leg twists.
On Saturday, he meets leggie Shreyas Gopal, an old nemesis. Although Shreyas has been filtering many runs, the fact that he has fired Kohli three times in his last four meetings will not go unnoticed by either employer. Incidentally, the leggie also has a 100% success rate against AB de Villiers in four matches.
Smith, on the other hand, scored half a century in his team’s two victories in Sharjah, but was at sea against Kolkata Knight Riders’ Pat Cummins in the final match.
While RCB’s middle order has looked shaky throughout, cracks in RR’s lineup have also been exposed, despite Rahul Tewatia’s heroics against Kings XI Punjab. Robin Uthappa, who bats lower in the order, has yet to find his way, a concern that extends to Riyan Parag as well.
On the bowling front, while spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar have been encouraging, there appears to be no end in sight to the troubles of RCB’s death. Against MI, they conceded 89 runs in the final five overs and were lucky enough to escape with a Super Over victory. RR has a formidable attack led by Jofra Archer, who has been unplayable at times.
THE RCB MAINTENANCE DILEMMA
After Joshua Philippe failed to shoot, de Villiers was given the added responsibility of maintaining the wicket in the previous game, but it won’t be a surprise if RCB ditches the big gloves. It will be a difficult task for the highly successful South African to handle the extra workload in the sweltering heat and humidity of the afternoon. In that case, it will be a fight between Philippe and Parthiv Patel.
With dew out of the equation in the afternoon game, quickly adjusting to conditions will be decisive.