The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Monday. It is the 40th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 and the second meeting for the teams.
Overview:
The teams have met once this season, which RCB won. RR will be looking forward to take revenge on their home ground. Interestingly, both the teams are undefeated at home so far.
RR are placed in the third position of the table with 10 points after winning five of the eight games played so far. A big win on Monday will push them to the second spot, overtaking RCB. They won the previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets, and will be keen to keep the momentum.
RCB are placed second on the table with 12 points after winning six of the nine games played so far. They defeated Pune Warriors India by 130 runs but conceded a 58-run lost to Mumbai Indians in the next game, casting doubt on their much-talked-about batting line-up. They will be looking forward to get back to winning ways.
Previous Meetings:
They have met 11 times in the past and RCB won six of them, while one match was washed out by rains. RR conceded a seven-wicket defeat to RCB in their first meeting this season.
Team News:
Rajasthan Royals: Shane Watson not only scores quickly but also hits big. He scored 98 runs of 53 balls in the last match after hitting a century in the previous game. His performance on Monday will be vital. Skipper Rahul Dravid is also in good form. Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, Dishant Yagnik and Brad Hodge should contribute to ensure a good total for the team.
James Faulkner took five wickets while Ajit Chandila took two in the previous match. They also have Kevon Cooper, Sreesanth, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson and Shaun Tait in the line-up. Faulkner is expected to play a vital role on Monday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: After putting up a total of 163 against PWI, the top order crumbled in the next game, managing to score only 136 runs. Chris Gayle, who scored 175 against PWI, failed with his bat in the last game, and so too Virat Kohli, Ab De Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan. The top order need to give a good start and put up a good total on the board.
On the bowling front, they have Vinay Kumar, RP Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Ravi Rampaul, Murali Kartik and Muttiah Muralidaran. All eyes will be on the fast bowlers of the side, as Sawai Mansingh Stadium is expected to assist them.
Prediction:
RR are one of the strongest contenders for the title this season. They are a disciplined team and haven't lost any game at home but RCB is expected to bounce back after the defeat in the previous match. RCB are the favourite to win on Monday.
SQUADS:
Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Ajit Chandila, Ankeet Chavan, Ashok Menaria, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Dishant Yagnik, Fidel Edwards, Harmeet Singh, James Faulkner, Kevon Cooper, Kumar Boresha, Kushal Janith Perera, Owais Shah, Pravin Tambe, Rahul Shukla, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Sachin Baby, Samuel Badree, Sanju Samson, Shane Watson, Shaun Tait, Shreevats Goswami, Siddharth Trivedi, Stuart Binny, Vikramjeet Malik
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (captain), AB De Villiers, Abhimanyu Mithun, Abhinav Mukund, Andrew McDonald, Arun Karthik, Cheteshwar Pujara, Chris Gayle, Christopher Barnwell, Daniel Christian, Daniel Vettori, Harshal Patel, Jaidev Unadkat, K P Appanna, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Moises Henriques, Murali Kartik, Muttiah Muralitharan, Pankaj Singh, Prasanth Parameswaran, R Vinay Kumar, Ravi Rampaul, Rudra Pratap Singh, S Aravind, Sandeep Warrier, Saurabh Tiwary, Sheldon Jackson, Sunny Sohal, Syed Mohammad, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Vijay Zol, Zaheer Khan
Where to Watch Live
The match will begin at 4:00 pm IST and will be telecast live on Sony Set Max channel.
