IPL 2022: 3 Reasons To Bet On RCB

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have somehow made it through to the playoffs of after the Capitals failed to beat the bottom of the table Mumbai on Saturday. 

Can the Royal Challengers get past the in-form Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator? Bet Central brings you 3 reasons to bet on RCB to make it through to the final. 

The round-robin stage of the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League officially ended on Sunday evening. After 70 matches, the newbies, Lucknow Supergiants and Gujarat Titans finished in the top 4 in the table while two of the most successful teams, Mumbai & Chennai ended as the bottom two sides in the standings.

1. Gujarat Titans 

2. Lucknow Supergiants 

3. Rajasthan Royals 

4. Royal Challengers Bangalore 

5. Delhi Capitals 

6. Punjab Kings 

7. Kolkata Knight Riders 

8. Sunrisers Hyderabad 

9. Chennai Super Kings 

10. Mumbai Indians

The top-two teams have the luxury of getting two shots of making the final.  Meanwhile, LSG and RCB, third and fourth respectively, will have to win two in a  row to make the title clash.

Three Reasons To Bet On RCB To Make The Final

Kohli & Faf Opening Stand Starting To Peak

The Challengers have tried different opening partnerships but eventually stuck with Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis to take matters into their hands. The two have taken responsibility towards the end of the round-robin stage of the competition. 

Together, they are starting to peak as the struggling Kohli found form in the last few matches. Should these two world-class batters continue clicking, they will take the game to the opposition as we’ve seen them do so for so many years. 

In their last outing, the pair recorded a 115 run stand which saw Kohli get to a 54- ball 73 and Faf a 38-ball 44. The two batters ensured that RCB got over the line against the table-topping Gujarat Titans last Friday.

They Are The Dark-horses

RCB have never won the IPL before and are seen as one of the unluckiest teams in the tournament looking at the calibre of players they have had over the years. This time around, led by the cool Faf du Plessis, the Challengers have gone under the radar ensuring that they get the job done. 

Only a few gave them a chance after losing three consecutive matches towards the end of the competition. But the Challengers turned things around and recorded eight wins to get them through to the playoffs. 

It is this quality that might just get them to the finals. As a team, they play without the burden of big expectations from the media and the fans which makes a huge difference in how they perform on the day.

Big Match Players

The Challengers have the right players for the temperament and pressure of the next phase of the IPL. The playoffs are a do or die type of situation. Looking at this team, a few can doubt the ability of these players to pitch up in a must-win game. 

Faf du Plessis is up there with the best in terms of performing in big pressure games and the captaincy role only makes him more determined and driven to get his team to the finals. Virat Kohli has also done it for RCB and India for so many years. Dinesh Karthick, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshel Patel and Josh Hazlewood are all impressive in big matches.

IPL 2022 Playoff Fixtures

Qualifier 1: Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals on 24 May at Eden Gardens,  Kolkata from 4 PM (SAST) 

Eliminator: Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore on 25 May at  Eden Gardens, Kolkata from 4 PM (SAST) 

Qualifier 2: Loser of GT/RR vs winner of LSG/RR on 27 May at Narendra Modi  Stadium, Ahmedabad from 4 PM (SAST) 

Final: Winner of GT/RR vs winner of Qualifier 2 on 29 May at Narendra Modi  Stadium, Ahmedabad from 4.30 PM (SAST)