Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Venue: New lands, Cape town – 18th April – 20:00 hrs (IST)

The battle between the defending champions and the challengers. This would be the most important match for both teams as they want to start the season with a win. Rajasthan Royals were the champions of the previous season where as Challengers placed 7th in the table. Both the teams have made various changes in their squad.

History tells that the two encounters between these teams were won by Rajasthan Royals.

Preview:

Bangalore Royal Challengers

Firstly the team is changed from captaincy to management. Rahul Dravid is replaced by Kevin Pietersen as captain. It should be a fresh start for them. Key players like Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder should be performing well which increases the moral of challengers. Also Jaques Kallis is in good form which helps them. Mark Boucher would be keeping wickets. Batting line up is pretty ok. Players like Virat Kohli and Srivats Goswami will be given a chance. Robin Uttappa is an additional power to the line up. The problem is with the opening pair, there is no player except for Jesse Ryder who can bat in this slot. Middle order is strong with players like Dravid, Pietersen, Kallis, Taylor and Uttappa. Dravid might also be playing as an opener. As only 4 international players should be playing in the final eleven, only one or two of the middle order batsmen are expected to be in the side. All-Rounders play a major role in T20; Cameroon White could be a bonus as he can trouble the batsmen with his orthodox leg spinners. Kallis and Akhil also play a major role as All-Rounders. Bowling line up is made strong this time with Dale Steyn, Praveen Kumar. Anil Kumble’s experience also helps the challengers. Young sensational South African bowler Van Der Merwe is also a part of the line up. The costly miss could be Zaheer Khan, his absence wil be definitely seen. Players like Pankaj Singh, Bharat Chipli should perform well.

Overall, Challengers looks a better side compared to last season. They definitely want to prove a point and are ready to challenge the defending champions.

Rajasthan Royals

This team is seriously missing many important players like Sohail Tanvir, Kamran Akmal and Younis Khan. Their absence will be reflected on the performance. Shane Watson is also not playing this season due to his national team commitments. Shane Warne again plays a major role along with Yusuf Pathan. Inclusion of Tyron Henderson and Shaun Tait strengthens the bowling department. Openers Swapnil Asnodkar and Graeme Smith should be performing well giving good starts. Middle order looks decent with Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, Mascarenhas and other younger players like Neeraj Patel. Mohammad Kaif’s exclusion from the team definitely affects as the middle order is not that strong. Bowling is fine with Shaun Tait, Henderson, Morne Morkel, Munaf Patel, Siddarth Trivedi and also Shane Warne. Interesting point is that there is a mystery bowler named Kabhir Khan who hasn’t played single domestic match; also a tennis ball bowler is included in the team. This time the team is slightly weaker missing their key players but is definitely a team to watch out.

Verdict:

The battle between Kevin Pietersen and Shane Warne could be very interesting. The playing eleven is tough to choose for both the teams. The strategy of Shane Warne and the dominance of Kevin should make the battle more interesting. Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Yusuf Pathan will make a strong statement. Jesse Ryder for Challengers and Henderson for Royals are the key players to watch out for. Both the teams have equal strengths and weakness and the result is unpredictable.