MICHAEL RUDLING takes a look at the next fixture in the 2022 Indian Premier League season
Rajasthan Royals take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
The game will begin on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30pm local time (3pm BST).
It will be held at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The Royals have enjoyed a fantastic start in this year’s IPL, topping the table after winning both of their opening games.
They have been excellent with the bat, piling on 193 for 8 and 210 for 6 against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
RCB have had a more mixed start to the season, winning one game and losing the other.
Bowling would have been a worry for a team that failed to defend 205 for 2 against Punjab Kings, but they did bowl out Kolkata Knight Riders for just 128 in their next game to pick up their first win of the campaign.
Jos Buttler
Rajasthan opener Jos Buttler scored his third T20 hundred in his last game and will be the key wicket for RCB. If the Royals get off to a good start, the middle order pairing of Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer looks dangerous, too.
Looking to stop them is Wanindu Harasanga, the newest recruit to the miserly leg-spin brigade. Despite struggling in his first game, Harasanga was the undoubted match-winner against KKR, taking 4 for 20. RCB will need him at his best if they are to keep the Royals at bay.
Buttler came up against Harasanga twice in an England shirt last year, finishing not out on both occasions on 68 and 101. Harasanga went at less than a run-a-ball.
Matches played: 22
Rajasthan Royals wins: 10
Royal Challengers Bangalore wins: 12
A sunny day in Mumbai is set to give way to a warm evening, with temperatures hovering around 29 degrees Celsius at the start of play.
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rassie van der Dussen, Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Dhruv Jurel, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Anunay Singh, Riyan Parag, Nathan Coulter Nile, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwa, Tejas Baroka, Kuldeep Sen, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, KC Cariappa, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Faf du Plessis, Luvnith Sisodia, Finn Allen, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell, Sherfane Rutherford, Aneeshwar Gautam, David Willey, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammed Siraj, Chama Milind, Siddarth Kaul, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Jason Behrendorff, Josh Hazlewood
Wanindu Hasaranga [Mark Kolbe/Getty Images]
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Navdeep Saini, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf Du Plessis, Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, David Willey, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
Both SkyBet and Bet365 have RCB as 8/11 favourites and the Royals 11/10 outsiders.
Jos Buttler’s form and the fact that RCB haven’t put together a complete performance yet mean this is looking like a win for the Rajasthan Royals.
In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.
Fans in India can watch all of the action on Star Sports.
Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.
Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.
Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.
The IPL can also be streamed on Disney+ and Hotstar in certain areas.
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