RR vs RCB Match Prediction & Betting Tips - May 19, 2018

The IPL Playoffs are now just a few days away and we still have five teams jostling for the last two qualification spots. The tournament has seen teams that were dominating in the first half fall apart in the second while teams that started slow are making a strong comeback. Two of the teams that are fighting for those last two spots are the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Both the teams must win this match, the last of the league phase, to have any chance of qualification. There is a high likelihood that net-run rate will come into play for the winner but the loser is all but certain to be out of the running.

We are in for a thrilling, high-pressure encounter between two excellent sides.

RR vs RCB Team Previews

Rajasthan Royals

A spectacular collapse in their last match against the Kolkata Knight Riders was at the heart of the Rajasthan Royals defeat. From scoring 10 consecutive boundaries and having nearly 60 runs on board in the first four overs, the Rajasthan Royals unraveled against the spinners and could score only 142 runs.

It was not a total that they could defend even with the presence of Archer and Sodhi in their ranks.

That defeat would have hurt Rajasthan very badly especially since they knew they would be without their best player for the upcoming match. Jos Buttler, who has been instrumental to the fortunes of the Rajasthan Royals is going to be missing from this match as he leaves for international duty.

Joining him in his departure will be Ben Stokes who did not have a great IPL but was crucial to the balance of the Rajasthan Royals side none the less. The loss of these two players has meant that Rajasthan Royals will be without their best batsmen and one of their best bowlers for the must-win encounter.

Of course, the players coming in to replace these two are also world class. Heinrich Klassen is a very underrated player and although his two innings in this IPL did not prove too much, he can be very dangerous in the middle order.

The other player likely to make the eleven will be Darcy Short. The Aussie was one of the hottest T20 batsman coming into this IPL but he has had a poor run even after an extended run. Short will need to be bat at his best otherwise the loss of Buttler is going to be too much for the Royals to overcome.

The Royals must not dwell on the players that are not present, though. Players like Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane, and Sanju Samson must take this opportunity to set themselves apart from a whole host of talented youngsters vying for the Indian team.

The bowling will be led by Jofra Archer who will need to prove himself against two of the best T20 batsmen in the world. How Archer fares against the RCB top-order could well the key to how this match plays out.

With Unadkat, Gowtham, Anureet Singh, and Sodhi for company, Jofra Archer will know that he is the undisputed leader of this attack and that he should not expect too much from the supporting cast.

Rajasthan Royals Playing 11

Ajinkya Rahane, Heinrich Klaasen, SV Samson, RA Tripathi, STR Binny, K Gowtham, Ben Laughlin, JD Unadkat, Jofra Chioke Archer, S Gopal, IS Sodhi.


Royal Challengers Bangalore

The Royal Challengers Bangalore team is on the verge of completing a wonderful turnaround as they go into this must-win game. A couple of big wins have helped RCB improve their net run-rate enough that they can focus on simply winning this match and then hoping things fall their way afterward.

It looks likely that RCB will stick with its winning team from the last couple of matches. Virat Kohli has moved himself to the top of the order and is going to be partnered by Parthiv Patel.

Kohli is in excellent form and even though he has been getting out to the spinners more often than he would have liked, he is primed to score a big one very soon. His record in crunch matches is also exemplary and something we recommend the punters to take into account when placing their bets.

Following them will AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali. Both the players batted with supreme confidence in the last match. AB de Villiers was missing a bit of spark in the middle but seems to be completely rejuvenated as the business end of the tournament approaches.

Moeen Ali was a very astute pick by RCB in our opinion. He has the ability to start quick and clear the boundaries with ease. This makes him very dangerous in T20’s where a 14 ball 30 can be more important than a 34 ball 50. He can also contribute with the ball, which is something the poor RCB bowling attack requires.

A similar kind of all-rounder, de Grandhomme can strike ball fiercely and bowl his quota of overs in most matches. He provides the power down the order for RCB.

RCB has always been a batting heavy side and that will be the discipline they will bank on to win this match. The surface in Jaipur should help their batsmen play freely and pile the pressure on the home side.

Cricket is not just about batting, though, and this is exactly where RCB has a weak spot. Umesh Yadav has been good with the new ball on occasions but it will be a brave man who bets on him repeating performances with consistency. Umesh Yadav has shown throughout his career that he can swing vastly between spectrums from match to match.

Tim Southee and Mohamad Siraj are the other two pacers, both of whom went for plenty of runs in their last match. Siraj was lucky to get Kane Williamson caught at the boundary in his last over after which he bowled well otherwise we could have been talking about yet another missed opportunity for RCB.

Yuzvendra Chahal, Moeen Ali, and de Grandhomme will have a huge role in supporting the fast bowlers in this match. RCB may be a superstar batting team but their bowling inspires no confidence whatsoever and their fielding was also very poor in the last match (apart from AB de Villiers Spiderman catch, of course!).

Royal Challengers Bangalore Playing 11

Parthiv Patel, Moeen Ali, V Kohli, AB de Villiers, M Singh, Colin de Grandhomme, Sarfaraz Khan, TG Southee, Umesh Yadav, YS Chahal, M Siraj.

RR vs RCB Toss Prediction

The team winning the toss is likely to field first

Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.

Pitch and Conditions

The weather prediction for Jaipur is for clear skies and a hot day., just as we want it for a crucial encounter. The pitch in Jaipur has been very good for batting throughout and we expect nothing different in this match either.

The fast bowlers should be able to get some bounce and there will be a hint of turn for the spinners but the margin of error is going to be very small. A high scoring match with a par score of 180 can be expected.

RR vs RCB Betting Tips

The record between the two teams over the last five matches is 2-2 with one match abandoned. It is a dead heat between two teams that are pretty similar in their style of cricket as well. The odds are stacked against Rajasthan Royals in this match especially due to them missing Jos Buttler. RCB is deserving favorites but we are wary of their tendency to self-destruct just when things seem to be going their way.

Rajasthan Royals have some world class players in their side as well and will be playing at home. We sniff a huge upset in the making.

We recommend betting on Rajasthan Royals due to the excellent price being offered and then maybe hedging your bet if the opportunity arrives with some in-play betting.

Back the Rajasthan Royals to win.

Today Match Prediction

Rajasthan Royals To Win the Match, 2.65

Bet Tip Here

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