RR went down to GT in Qualifier 1 in Kolkata. Jos Buttler played a terrific knock to guide the team to a competitive total. The other batters also need to chip in bigger performances though. Skipper Sanju Samson, in particular, needs to lift his game. In almost every match he has got a start but has not converted it into a big score. The stage is set for him to announce his presence to the hilt in IPL 2022.
Their bowling suffered in the last game at the hands of David Miller and Hardik Pandya. It remains to be seen how Prasidh Krishna recovers from the thrashing he took at the hands of Miller. Yuzvendra Chahal also went wicketless, so he would be keen to have his say.
RR predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy
Having sneaked into the playoffs, RCB stunned the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator. Rajat Patidar scored a sensational hundred while Dinesh Karthik played another of those game changing cameos. They will expect runs from the Big Three though - Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell.
In the bowling, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel and Josh Hazlewood all rose to the challenge against Lucknow. Mohammed Siraj got an early wicket but his form remains a concern. Still, with the win over LSG, RCB will take the momentum into Qualifier 2.
RCB predicted XI: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj
Top fantasy picks for RR vs RCB Qualifier 2: Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Wanindu Hasaranga
–Renin Wilben Albert