In the 39th match of IPL 2022, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to field against Rajasthan Royals at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Tuesday.

This is the second encounter between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals. Royals are coming into this game confident after winning their last two games while RCB had a disastrous outing in their last game since they were bowled out for 68 against SunRisers Hyderabad and suffered a crushing 9-wicket defeat a few days back.

Also read: ‘Confident of hitting 6 sixes vs Rajasthan Royals’: Delhi Capitals’ Rovman Powell

Virat Kohli’s form remains a concern for RCB while Jos Buttler of RR has been firing on all cylinders in the ongoing season of the IPL. Buttler is currently the highest scorer (491) in IPL 2022. Royals captain Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikall have been playing supportive roles to Buttler.

RR are currently third on the points table while RCB are fifth. Both teams won five matches each.

What did the captains say?

Faf du Plessis – ‘We will bowl first. There will be a bit in it early on and we’ll look to exploit it tonight. You have to go past it (68), it’s just about getting to the playoffs, not h9ow you get there. One change for us – Rajat comes in for Anuj with Virat going to the top. We want him to get going right at the top, want to see the real Virat play. This is a new game, new day and well have to play well.

Also read: IPL 2022: Royal Challengers Bangalore aim to halt Jos Buttler’s onslaught against Rajasthan Royals

Sanju Samson – We would have also bowled here, but we’re happy to bat first as well. It’s been great, he has set up a great standard, the entire team is learning a lot from him, the way he has played in accordance with the team situation, there’s a lot to learn. Just put the best step forward – couple of changes, Daryl Mitchell comes in place of Karun Nair, Kuldeep Sen replaces Obed McCoy

Pitch report: This is a used pitch. There is plenty of grass on the surface, but it looks abrasive which means it could grip a bit and could be uneven as well.

Playing XI

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis(c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik(w), Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Daryl Mitchell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal