Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday afternoon (April 15) won the toss and decided to field first against Rajasthan Royals (RR), in the eleventh match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
Here is what the captains said:
Virat Kohli:
“We’re going to bowl first today as well. As we saw last year, batting first in the afternoon would be a bit tricky. The team is feeling good; the wicket would play much better batting second, especially when one big partnership takes you through. This has become a challenging ground and we’re happy to play the waiting game,” Kohli stated.
“Momentum is hard to gain, we understand that one game is enough to give you that. Rajasthan are coming off a win too and we need to be brave while making our decisions. Just one change – Pawan Negi comes in for Sarfaraz,” Kohli added.
Ajinkya Rahane:
“We were looking to bowl first as well. But it doesn’t matter; you need to start and end well. T20 is all about giving your best in every over and take it from there.”
Preview:
Two teams with pretty similar start to the season will lock horns in the eleventh match of the season. After losing their season-opener, both the teams- Royal Challengers and Royals – won their second games respectively to open their accounts.
For Royal Challengers, their biggest positive from the last game would be their bowling performance. Considered as their Achilles heel, the bowling department did extremely well to restrict Kings XI Punjab to a modest total.
In the batting fold, AB de Villiers then showed his masterclass during a thrilling chase.
In front of a very supportive home crowd, Bangalore would be hoping to extend their winning run. They would also be hoping that their talismanic skipper Virat Kohli hits top form after two lukewarm outings.
On the other hand, the Royals have arrived in Bangalore after beating Delhi Daredevils in a rain-affected game.
The Royals defended 71 off six overs against a power-packed Delhi Daredevils batting lineup to open their account.
With momentum on their side, they would be hoping to make the most of it against the rejuvenated hosts.
Playing XI of both the teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Quinton de Kock(w), Brendon McCullum, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Chris Woakes, Pawan Negi, Kulwant Khejroliya, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal
Rajasthan Royals:
Ajinkya Rahane(c), D Arcy Short, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler(w), Rahul Tripathi, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin
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