Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) — is set to be the most crucial battle in the playoff stages of the Indian Premier League (2024), where the survival of the fittest will be promoted to the Qualifier 2 round. The match takes place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 22nd May 2024 (Wednesday) at 07:30 pm IST.

Unlike Qualifier 1, the loser of the eliminator round wouldn’t get another chance to play another match to qualify for the finals and thus get eliminated from the tournament. Rajasthan Royals will be aiming to become the defending champions for the 2nd time after 2008. On the other hand, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be actively hunting to claim its maiden IPL trophy.

Both these teams have displayed contrasting performances in recent times and let’s evaluate their progress in the ongoing season as well as in the IPL playoffs. So, it’s time we delve deeper into this preview to predict the toss outcome and find out the head-to-head stats of RR vs RCB. Mainly, it helps you to decide the winner of the upcoming match and estimate the possible list of playing XI and impact players of both teams. Most probably, the pitch and weather conditions in Ahmedabad might remain the same for Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator round, which will be discussed in detail…

Performance Analysis of RR and RCB in IPL 2024

Comparing the performance of RR and RCB helps you to understand how these two teams entered the Eliminator round of IPL 2024:

1. Rajasthan Royals (RR): 3rd Position (17 Points with +0.273 Net Run Rate)

The journey of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024 started as the most dominating team of IPL 2024. Initially, they ranked at the top position and many fans expected Sanju Samson’s led side to enter into the Qualifier 1 round as the table toppers.

Shockingly, RR’s four consecutive losses against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Delhi Capitals (DC), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) weakened their chances of ranking in the top two positions and lowered their net run rate. Unfortunately, their last match of the league stages in IPL 2024 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was abandoned due to severe rains. As a result, RR dropped to the 3rd position in the points table. Despite RR and SRH scoring 17 points, a weak NRR and inconsistent performances in recent times resulted in the 2008-defending champions entering the eliminator round.

Mainly, the batting unit has failed in recent times which led RR to sequentially lose four matches. Most importantly, Jos Buttler’s absence has disrupted the opening combination and perhaps makes it difficult for RR to score huge runs instantly.

2. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): 4th Position ( 14 Points with +0.459 Net Run Rate)

At one stage, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) seemed to be eliminated from the IPL 2024 playoffs race after losing six matches sequentially. But, Faf du Plessis and his men never gave up and won five games on a trot to secure a deserving spot in the playoffs.

Especially, RCB’s 27-run victory in their previous match against CSK helped them climb to the 4th position in the points table. Despite, both these teams securing 14 points each, the net run rate played a crucial role as a tie-breaker. RCB was able to enter the playoffs only by following the required criteria to restrict CSK to below 201.

Although Will Jacks’s absence can be felt in the squad, these batters namely Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green and Dinesh Karthik have the potential to score huge runs. However, the bowling department needs to be improved, and it’s important to focus on avoiding leaking too many runs, particularly in the death overs.

Rajasthan vs Bengaluru Stats in IPL Playoffs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have played the most number of matches in playoffs when compared to Rajasthan Royals and the stats are tabulated below in detail:

Rajasthan Royals Performance in IPL Playoffs:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru  Performance in IPL Playoffs:

***NOTE***: Here “TBC” means the outcome is “To Be Confirmed” after this match.

RR vs RCB Head-to-Head Stats in IPL

RR and RCB have competed against each other in 31 IPL matches starting from 2008 to the current edition, and you can find many interesting stats discussed below in detail:

The above stats highlight the fact that RCB has won many games against RR while chasing targets.

Weather Conditions for Rajasthan vs Bengaluru Eliminator Match IPL 2024

The latest weather forecast reports indicate that the upcoming match between RR and RCB will entertain fans with a complete 20-over game per side since there aren’t any chances of rain. Furthermore, the temperature is expected to be around 30°C to 35°C during the match with clear skies.

Toss Outcome and Pitch Conditions for Rajasthan vs Bengaluru Eliminator

Speaking about the pitch conditions in Narendra Modi stadium, the batting-friendly tracks have posed the toughest challenges for bowlers, since batters gain maximum advantage to accumulate runs instantly. Additionally, teams that chased the target at this venue have won most games, and you can expect both teams to score a 200+ total or more. As a result, the team skipper winning the toss would certainly decide to bowl first.

List of Probable Playing XI and Impact Players: RR vs RCB Match Eliminator round

There are chances that RR might change their list of playing XI and choose any one of the five impact players whereas RCB are likely to continue with the same combination when compared to their previous match as listed below:

RR Probable Playing XI:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal
2. Tom Kohler-Cadmore
3. Sanju Samson (captain/ wicketkeeper)
4. Riyan Parag
5. Dhruv Jurel
6. Rovman Powell
7. Ravichandran Ashwin
8. Trent Boult
9. Sandeep Sharma
10. Avesh Khan
11. Nandre Burger

RR Expected Impact Players List: 

1. Yuzvendra Chahal
2. Tanush Kotian
3. Keshav Maharaj
4. Kuldeep Sen
5. Donovan Ferreira

RCB Probable Playing XI:

1. Faf du Plessis (captain)
2. Virat Kohli
3. Glenn Maxwell
4. Rajat Patidar
5. Cameron Green
6. Mahipal Lomror
7. Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper)
8. Karn Sharma
9. Yash Dayal
10. Lockie Ferguson
11. Mohammed Siraj

RCB Expected Impact Players List:

1. Swapnil Singh
2. Anuj Rawat
3. Suyash Prabhudessai
4. Vijaykumar Vyshak
5. Himanshu Sharma

Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Eliminator Round Winner Prediction: Conclusive Facts

From the above stats and based on the performance in recent matches, it is predicted that Royal Challengers Bengaluru have maximum chances of winning the eliminator round of IPL 2024 against Rajasthan Royals. Also, RR lost against RCB in the IPL 2015 eliminator round. Similarly, RCB lost to RR in IPL 2022 qualifier 2 round.

Finally, it remains to be seen if RR manages to get back into their winning ways or if RCB continues their domination till the finals to lift their first IPL trophy. They also have the chance to achieve the second-longest winning streak in IPL history after KKR (10 consecutive wins).

At the same time, it is a huge challenge for RCB to shed the “chokers tag”. This is because the franchise has reached the IPL finals 3 times, but hasn’t won a trophy yet.

Ultimately, it’s expected that the upcoming match will be a high-scoring clash between both sides and the teams that exhibit a strong batting performance will qualify for the subsequent rounds of the IPL 2024 playoffs.