The Rajasthan Royals and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru will lock horns at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Friday, April 10. This promises
to be a blockbuster affair as both teams have hit the ground running in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Royals are sitting pretty at the top of the standings after defeating Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, and Mumbai Indians. On the other hand, the Royal Challengers have started with back-to-back wins against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings.
Both teams have several in-form players who can take the game away from the opposition in very quick time. There won't be much margin for error on Friday in the City of Temples.
Predicted Impact Players for Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Ravi Bishnoi: Ravi Bishnoi will be coming on as the Impact Player if the Royals are bowling second, unless they suffer a batting collapse and need to slot in a something Shubham Dubey or a Ravi Singh.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius: Yet another hard-hitting option, Lhuan-dre Pretorius has the talent to establish himself as one of the big names in the league in the times to come.
Brijesh Sharma: The Bengal speedster impressed with his variety in the first game but has been on the bench for the last two encounters.
Shubham Dubey: Shubham Dubey played nine times for RR last season and is a handy lower-order batter. He can tonk the ball from the get-go, making him a valuable asset when too many balls aren't left in the innings.
Ravi Singh: Ravi Singh was the Railways’ top-scorer at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 218 runs at a strike-rate of 173.01. He will be waiting for an opportunity to showcase his skills against some of the best cricketers in the world.
Predicted Impact Players for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB):
Suyash Sharma - Suyash Sharma has picked up two wickets from as many games and conceded runs at an economy rate of 7.
Jacob Bethell - A promising all-rounder, Jacob Bethell, might have to warm the bench a little longer as the batting order is doing well for RCB.
Rasikh Salam Dar - A right-arm pacer known for his pace, consistently bowling around 140 kph. He can also mix his pace and bowl yorkers at the back end of the innings.
Venkatesh Iyer - Venkatesh Iyer was the vice-captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders last season. However, he is yet to get a game for RCB this year. However, with the kind of form Devdutt Padikkal has been in of late, it seems difficult for Venkatesh to get a playing opportunity anytime soon.
Kanishk Chouhan - The 19-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder is most likely a backup for Krunal Pandya. However, he bowls right-arm off-spin and not left-arm like the Baroda skipper..
Expert Opinion and Final Prediction
Home Advantage: Rajasthan Royals will be playing in their second home, which is the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. However, they have only played eight matches so far at this venue and won't have too much of a home advantage against the Royal Challengers.
Recent Form: RCB have won three of their last five encounters against Rajasthan Royals, giving them a slight edge in recent head-to-head battles.
Balanced Side: On paper, both teams look very balanced, with several players being in form.
Prediction: RR and RCB will start even-stevens and fans can expect a riveting contest. However, the team that bowls first could have a slight edge.
