The match between the 'royals' will be nothing short of a spectacle as two of the best sides of this season clash for the big ticket.
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In a match to determine the opponent to face Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will go up against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The match between the ‘royals’ will be nothing short of a spectacle as two of the best sides of this season clash for the big ticket. The teams won one match each when they faced each other in the league stages. RCB edged RR in the first match and RR won the second fixture between the teams. The matches were largely dominated by the bowlers of both teams. Fans of the game can expect another intense duel at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.
RR will have to bounce back from the defeat against GT in the first qualifier. They lost after setting up a competitive score of 188/6 which should be seen as an underwhelming outing from their bowlers. Yuzvendra Chahal, the leading wicket-taker of the ongoing campaign, couldn’t even manage one wicket against GT. Bowlers apart from him struggled as GT ran away comfortable winners in the end. The match against RCB will be an opportunity for them to right the wrongs.
Both Virat Kohli and Trent Boult had an underwhelming IPL by their standards and the stage is set for them to perform big. Kohli stormed back to form in the do-or-die match against GT but had a rather below-par outing against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Boult has taken 14 wickets in the season’s IPL which is average by his level. His experience can still turn out to be huge for RR at this crucial juncture. This is a battle that may have a massive impact on the match.
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The batter in red hot form in IPL 2022, Jos Buttler, is the leading run-scorer in the ongoing campaign. The Englishman had less impact in a couple of matches leading up to the playoff against GT. But he roared back to form with a quickfire innings. He will be up against RR bowlers in the likes of Josh Hazlewood. Buttler is certainly the most important batter for RR and his innings will crucial. Hazlewood is a wicket-taker and can provide breakthroughs just when his team needs him. This will be an important contest.
Chahal will try to be among the wicket-takers after going wicketless in the last match. He is the leading wicket-taker of this IPL with 26 scalps to his name. The clever spinner will be up against players like Rajat Patidar, who scored a smashing century in the eliminator against LSG. Patidar was just an injury replacement a few matches back and has become a hero now. He will be looking to impress more and it will be an intense contest with Chahal.
