Kohli's RCB aim to continue winning momentum vs Royals

A thumping win over defending champions Mumbai Indians boosting their confidence, Royal Challengers Bangalore would look to build on the momentum when they take on a struggling Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match in Dubai on Wednesday.

The Virat Kohli-led RCB are currently at third spot with 12 points from 10 matches and a win over Royals will virtually put them in the play-offs.

On the other hand, with eight points from 10 matches, it will be a make-or-break outing for Royals as a loss on Wednesday can put them in a tight situation in their bid for a place in the play-offs.

RCB did not have the best of starts after the IPL's resumption as they lost two consecutive matches, including the forgettable nine-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders where they were bowled out for 92.

They were then outplayed by Chennai Super Kings though Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal came good with 53 and 70 respectively.

The previous match against MI, however, gave them their first win in IPL's second leg in the UAE, with Kohli hitting his second consecutive fifty -- 51 -- and Maxwell smashing a quickfire 37-ball 56.

Kohli, who is stepping down from RCB captaincy after this season, would look to continue his good form.

South African legend AB de Villiers, on the other hand, needs a big one after scores of 0, 12, 11, while Maxwell will be keen to continue his good form with both bat and ball.

On the bowling front, Harshal Patel is the star with six wickets from three matches, including a hat-trick in the last match, and Yuzvendra Chahal is also in fine form with five dismissals to prove a point to the Indian selectors after he was left out for the T20 World Cup.

A bit of worry is New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, who has not taken any wicket from the two matches he has played so far in the UAE.

Royals, on the other hand, have been outplayed by their respective opponents in their last two matches after registering a narrow two-run victory against Punjab Kings.

Except for captain Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, most of the Royals batsmen are struggling.

Lone ranger Samson has hit two half-centuries in a row after scoring four runs in the first match but other batsmen have let the team down.

In Monday's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, it was Samson again who took his side to 164/5 with a well-calculated 82 on a sticky wicket where stroke-making was difficult.

However, the score proved insufficient as Royals lost by seven wickets, which dented their play-off chances as they remained in sixth spot with eight points.

Among bowlers, Kartik Tyagi (3 wickets), Chetan Sakariya (4 wickets) and Mustafizur Rahman (3 wickets) have done reasonably well for the side.

Teams:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (captain), AB de Villiers, Navdeep Saini, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Rajat Patidar, Dushmantha Chameera, Pavan Deshpande, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Sachin Baby, Wanindu Hasaranga, George Garton, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shahbaz Ahmed, Devdutt Padikkal, Kyle Jamieson, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat, Tim David, Akash Deep.

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain), Liam Livingstone, Evin Lewis, David Miller, Chris Morris, Oshane Thomas, Mustafizur Rahaman, Tabraiz Shamsi, Glenn Phillips, Chetan Sakariya, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Akash Singh, Anuj Rawat, KC Cariappa, Yashashvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Kuldip Yadav, Mahipal Lomror.

Match Starts at 7.30pm IST.