Pune: Royal Challengers Bangalore will aim to halt the Jos Buttler juggernaut when it takes on a high-flying Rajasthan Royals in the IPL at the MCA Stadium here on Tuesday.
Rajasthan opener Buttler (491 runs from 7 matches at a strike-rate of 162) has been in sublime form, having already hammered three centuries and two fifties. His opening partner Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Sanju Samson too have been impressive for RR, which has notched up five wins in seven fixtures. Down the order, the big-hitting Shimron Hetmyer can add to the opposition’s woes with his brutal onslaught.
The Royals bowling attack will be led by Trent Boult, who has troubled the out-of-form Virat Kohli in the past with the in-swinger. Bangalore No.3 Kohli will be one of the centres of attention after back-to-back golden ducks in the 15th edition.
Pacer Prasidh Krishna as well as the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin could pose problems for the RCB batters, who fell like a pack of cards against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Royal Challengers (10 points from 8 matches) would want its senior players – captain Faf du Plessis, Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik – to step up with the bat as it chases its sixth victory of the season. End overs specialist Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga could have key roles to play in different phases of the ‘Royal’ match.
LSG captain Rahul fined
Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul was fined Rs 24 lakh since his team maintained a slow over-rate in the IPL win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. The rest of the members in the playing eleven were fined Rs 6 lakh or 25 per cent of their match fee, whichever is lower. It was Lucknow’s second over-rate offence of the season.
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