IPL 2019, RR Vs RCB Preview: RR, RCB Look For Their First Win Of The Season

Both Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who are yet to open their account in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL), will be desperate to pull off that first victory when they face each other at Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Both the teams have had a disappointing start and would love to revive their respective campaigns.

Royals have failed to tighten the screws when it mattered most. In all three matches, they were in a good position but could not grab the moments, losing to Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings respectively. They just couldn't get that final nail in the coffin to seal the game.

In Chennai on Sunday, Royals had CSK reeling at 27 for three before skipper M S Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 75 off 46 balls to bail the hosts out of trouble and eventually win the game by eight runs.

"We win as a team and we lose as a team. If we win the smaller moments in T20s we will do well. We have played well in the last three games and hopefully, with some luck, we'll be able to turn it around," said Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane after the loss against defending champions CSK.

Royals will need to collectively put up a promising show to outplay a ccrestfallenRCB. Royals, who boast of star players such as Steve Smith and Ben Stokes, have failed to live up to the expectations. 

In the first match against Kings XI Punjab, Royals' bowlers allowed the visitors to put some vital runs in death overs and later the batting order after being put on victory course by Rahane and Jos Buttler. 

The likes of Sanju Samson, who had hit first ton of this IPL, Buttler and Rahane have been good. Rahul Tripathi also looked impressive during his 39 against CSK but Smith and Stokes are yet to set the tournament on fire.

RCB lies on the same page. Their batting and bowling units have failed miserably to perform in tandem.

RCB will be filled with hunger, as they too are looking to redeem themselves. Their skipper Virat Kohli had conceded that the defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday afternoon was "one of their worst losses".

"We just need our players to put up a better challenge up front. There are still 11 games to go. The pitch will be nice in Jaipur against the Royals. We need to bring our A-game, like we did against Mumbai and play with that kind of intensity," said Kohli after RCB's third loss in a row. 

The visitors certainly have the resources in their ranks to beat Royals. RCB have an explosive batting order comprising  Kohli, AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel, Moeen Ali and Shimron Hetmyer. Yet their batting has let them down in two of the previous three outings. Both teams will also have to deal with the soaring heat in the the Pink City with temperatures nearing 40 degrees celsius. 

It is to be seen who will have the last laugh and have the first points on board in this IPL season.

When and how to watch:
Date: April 2 (Tuesday), 2019 
Time: 8 PM IST
Venue: Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur
Tv guide: Star Sports Network
Live streaming: Hotstar

Probable XI:
Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane(C), Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Manan Vohra

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli(C), Parthiv Patel, Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Colin de Grandhomme, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Heinrich Klaasen, Washington Sundar 

 Squads: 
Rajasthan Royals: Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ashton Turner, Ish Sodhi, Oshane Thomas, Liam Livingstone, Ajinkya Rahane(C), Sanju Samson, Shubham Ranjane, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Sudhesan Midhun, Jaydev Unadkat, Prashant Chopra, Mahipal Lomror, Aryaman Birla, Riyan Parag, Dhawal Kulkarni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Varun Aaron, Shashank Singh, Manan Vohra, Rahul Tripathi
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli(C), Parthiv Patel, Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Colin de Grandhomme, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Devdutt Padikkal, Himmat Singh, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Heinrich Klaasen, Pawan Negi, Washington Sundar, Akshdeep Nath, Prayas Barman, Kulwant Khejroliya, Tim Southee.