Big picture: Chahal returns to Chinnaswamy
Hasaranga’s first season for RCB was a real success. He finished with 26 wickets as they reached the playoffs for a third successive season, and ended second in the race for the Purple Cap. But the man that beat him to that award was Chahal, who has played a major role in Royals’ recent success and has extended his wicket-taking form into 2023.
Chahal’s three games against RCB last year brought mixed results: 2 for 15 in a defeat at the Wankhede, 0 for 23 in Royals’ win in Pune, and 0 for 45 in the second qualifier in Ahmedabad. And while he is unlikely to admit it publicly, he must be itching to prove a point against his old franchise this weekend.
He has a stellar IPL record at the Chinnaswamy, with 51 wickets at the venue; nobody else has taken even 30. Given RCB’s occasional slowdowns against spin in the early stages of this season, his four overs could determine the outcome of this Royal Rumble.
Form guide
Royal Challengers Bangalore WLWLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals LWWWL
Team news: Too soon for Hazlewood?
He bowled freely in training on Saturday afternoon, but as of Thursday night, was still awaiting Cricket Australia’s clearance to feature, and Wednesday’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders may be a more realistic comeback.
Toss and Impact Player strategy
Royal Challengers Bangalore
The batter involved in the substitution will depend on du Plessis’ fitness; if he is able to field, it is likely to be Suyash Prabhudessai, who spends their fielding innings on the bench. Conditions at the Chinnaswamy will determine whether they require an extra seamer in Vijaykumar Vyshak, or Karn Sharma’s legspin.
Possible XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Mahipal Lomror, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Suyash Prabhudessai, 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 David Willey, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Vijaykumar Vyshak/Karn Sharma
Royals have hardly used Jason Holder’s batting – he has faced two balls so far this season – and he has not been at his best with the ball. Throw in the possibility of a drier pitch in the afternoon sun and there may be a case for Adam Zampa to play; if they bat first, they can delay the call until the innings break by starting with three overseas players.
Who should Royals pick as their fourth overseas player?
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Jason Holder
Adam Zampa
Someone else
Possible XII: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Devdutt Padikkal, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 Riyan Parag, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Jason Holder/Adam Zampa, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal.
Stats that matter
Pitch and conditions
Sunday’s game will be played on a central strip, and there were a few small patches of live grass on a good length as of Saturday afternoon. RCB will wear a green strip instead of their usual red as part of their long-standing sustainability initiative.
Quotes
“They’ve always backed me with my batting ability. This year, especially, when spinners are operating from both ends, they want to use me as a floater. That’s something that I was told way before the season, so I can prepare for that.”
Harshal Patel on his new role with the bat.
“Three or four times, I have been lucky. I’m up to the challenge tomorrow and hoping for the best – that this time, as well, I get lucky.”
Sandeep Sharma plays down his exceptional record against Virat Kolhi.
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98