When Royal
Challengers Bangalore take on Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League on
Tuesday, they will be looking to halt the Jos Buttler juggernaut. Virat Kohli
will be scrutinized as well, following his second consecutive first-ball duck
in the competition.

RCB will be
aiming for their star batter to be back among the runs, as well as a much
improved performance by the batting unit after a poor showing in the previous
game.

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While the
Challengers are coming off a demoralizing nine-wicket loss to Sunrisers
Hyderabad, Rajasthan have two consecutive wins and are one of the season’s
in-form teams. While the spotlight will be on Kohli, RCB also has power-hitters
in skipper Faf Du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik, and Shahbaaz Ahmed
who can be lethal on their day, and if they fire in sync, the RR attack will
have a difficult time. Du Plessis, his team’s leading run-scorer, has gone hot
and cold with the willow but remains an important cog in the machine.

Karthik,
too, is playing the finisher’s position to near perfection with his hitting
talents. They will face Rajasthan’s varied attack, led by Trent Boult, who has
previously challenged Kohli with his delivery. Prasidh Krishna, as well as the
spin pair of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, can cause issues for the
RCB batsmen. Chahal, who has 18 wickets thus far, has the ability to turn the
game on its head. The same can be said for Ashwin, who can be the opposition’s
nemesis on his day. Add to that Obed McCoy’s four overs, and Rajasthan has a
solid attack. Rajasthan opener Jos Buttler has been in spectacular form this
season, having already scored three hundreds.

Opener
Devdutt Padikkal and captain Sanju Samson have also been experimenting with
opposition assaults and are among the runners. Shimon Hetymar, with his savage
attack, is also a threat to the bowling team. RR will be hoping that the top
order delivers once more at the MCA Stadium, which has seen high-scoring games
in the past.

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Karun Nair
and Riyan Parag are the weak links in Rajasthan’s batting, and the duo will
need to come up and produce.

Harshal
Patel is the strongest death bowler for RCB, but he will need help from
Mohammed Siraj and Josh Hazlewood. The four overs bowled by Sri Lankan spinner
Wanindu Hasaranga, who has eleven wickets, could also determine the outcome of
the match.