Rajasthan Royals takes on RCB in the IPL 2024 Eliminator on Wednesday, May 22. The Royals have lost four games on the bounce since making it to the playoffs. They were stuck on 16 points and have not won a game since May 2.
RR lost five back-to-back games starting off with SRH, DC, CSK, and Punjab Kings. Their previous match against KKR was rained out in Guwahati.
Losses in the previous few games have taken the sting out of the RR side feel the former cricket experts and commentators in the league. The Rajasthan Royals were the first team to get to 16 points and were on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs when they started their slump.
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RR skipper Sanju Samson sounded very dejected after every loss for the side saying that they need to rejig and zero in on the areas to focus. The absence of Jos Buttler is another massive blow to the side. Tom-Kohler Cadmore played in the match against PBKS and needs to take more responsibility with the bat. RR defeated RCB in the first game earlier this season but cricket experts feel that it is RCB who has the edge in this contest.
Rajasthan Royals Playing 11 vs RCB- Eliminator, IPL 2024
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal will open the batting for the Royals. He has looked a shade of what he was in the previous season. The southpaw has struggled for form and scored just four in the previous match. He is two short of 350 runs for the season.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore
The England batter made his IPL debut in the last match and scored 18 against Punjab Kings. He replaced Jos Buttler in the side and needs to make an impact in the eliminator against RCB.
Sanju Samson (C/WK)
Samson will slot in at three. He also scored in the previous match against PBKS. He went past 500 runs for the very first time in his IPL career this season and needs a big score in the Eliminator.
Riyan Parag
Parag will slot in at four. He is another RR batter who has scored over 500 runs in the season. He scored 48 handy runs in the previous game in a losing cause.
Dhruv Jurel
Jurel might keep his place in the side. He scored a duck in the previous game but RR would ensure that they have a good batting depth in the side and hence Jurel might get another chance.
Rovman Powell
Powell will slot in at six. He is a proper batter and can even bat up the order. However, off late he is seen as a finisher and RR are keen to use him as a power-hitter.
Shimron Hetmyer
Hetmyer might come back into the XI in place of Donovan Ferreira in the Eliminator against RR. The Royals like Hetmyer playing and might like to use his power-hitting skills.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin will slot in at eight. He has been promoted at number four or five in previous games as well. He scored 28 off 19 balls batting at number five against RR. He is on 178 IPL wickets and has taken seven wickets this season so far.
Trent Boult
Boult will be the fourth overseas player in the XI. He has taken 12wickest from 14 league games. He has to step up in the Eliminator for his side. The pacer picked up a wicket in his last game.
Avesh Khan
Avesh will be the specialist death bowler on the side. He picked up 2/28 in the last game and has picked up 13 wickets so far this season.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Chahal will conclude the playing XI for RR against RCB. He is on 17 wickets this season so far. He was topping the wicket-taking charts but has just gone off the boil with RR’s losses in the last few games.
Impact Sub: Sandeep Sharma
RR have used Sandeep Sharma extensively as the Impact Sub due to his brilliant death-bowling skills. He has taken 10 wickets from nine games this season so far bowling in the back 10 overs.
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