IPL 2021 Match 16 – Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals Betting Preview

IPL 2021: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals – Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XIs and Value Bets.

Match Details
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Thursday, April 22nd, 2021
16:00 SA Time

Betting Preview

The 16th match of the IPL sees the so far undefeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) taking on Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The rivalry between these two teams is as fierce as it gets. They have faced each other 23 times and have won 10 matches each while three games have ended in no results. RCB defeated RR in both the matches last year and are currently undefeated in IPL 2021. They head into the match as favourites.

Royal Challengers Bangalore have had a remarkable start to this edition of the IPL with three consecutive wins. The Chennai leg has suited RCB well with their bowlers tailor-made for such tracks and Glenn Maxwell blasting off opposition spinners in the middle overs. Maxwell’s exploits this year have given RCB a completely new look, they are now dominating the phase they previously struggled in. AB de Villiers doing his crazy things at the back end of the innings gives RCB great security. However, RCB will now play at the Wankhede Stadium and it’ll be interesting to see how they adapt.

Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, have been suffering due to injuries to Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. They have been hampered badly with the lack of options to fix their issues. Chetan Sakariya has turned out to be a surprise package for them with six wickets to his name in three matches. Chris Morris has put in some valuable performances so far for them. RR will need to fix their middle order and they might bring Mahipal Lomror in place of Shivam Dube, who has looked horribly out of touch so far. But in the end, it’ll be all on Skipper Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler to deliver consistently if they want to progress.

Injury and Availability News

RCB’s all players are available for the selection. RR will be without Jofra Archer as he hasn’t arrived in India yet after surgery on his hand.

Probable Playing XI

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya.

Pitch and Conditions

The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is a batsmen’s paradise with some help for the pacers. The venue has produced high-scoring games this season. The average first innings score at Wankhede in IPL 2021 is 174.

Key Players to Watch Out For

Glenn Maxwell: The Australian all-rounder has renewed his IPL career with an outstanding start to the season. Maxwell has had horrible seasons in the past but has given a new life to RCB with his middle overs hitting. He has scored 176 runs in 3 matches at a strike rate of 149. The fact that he has produced three quality knocks on difficult decks of Chennai makes it even more special.

Mohammed Siraj: The Indian pacer has shown enormous growth since India toured Australia. Mohammed Siraj who was often criticised for his T20 bowling has done quite a brilliant job for RCB this year. Siraj has bowled 11 overs in three matches in this edition and has taken 2 wickets but his economy rate of 5.82 is simply astonishing. Siraj has also found movement off the pitch and is likely to get more assistance at Wankhede Stadium.

David Miller: The Killer Miller, previously had quite a reputation as a finisher in limited-overs cricket. But he’s had a rough time in IPL for the last few years. David Miller, who is getting the opportunity for RR because of Ben Stokes’ injury, played a fantastic knock of 62 off 43 in his first match against DC. Miller has scored 1911 runs in IPL at an average of 34 and strike rate of 138.4.

Chetan Sakariya: The Indian left-arm seamer rose to fame after his performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he picked 10 wickets in 4 matches. Chetan Sakariya has impressed everyone this IPL season, picking up 6 wickets in 3 matches. He has bowled brilliantly so far and it will be interesting to see how he goes against RCB’s powerful batting lineup.

What Bets To Take

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli to be RCB’s top batsman at 3.25.

Yuzvendra Chahal to be RCB’s top bowler at 3.50.

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler to be RR’s top batsman at 3.00.

Chris Morris to be RR’s top bowler at 4.00.

Kolkata Knight Riders/Chennai Super Kings to win at 1.86.