Teams eye top of the table | IPL 2020 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals: SWOT Analysis

The Royal Challengers Bangalore face Rajasthan Royals in IPL's match 15 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. In their last match, RCB beat the Mumbai Indians in the Super Over after the match ended in a tie. The Rajasthan Royals had their first defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous game.

Take a look at the teams' SWOT analysis.

The SWOT for RCB

Strengths: Devdutt Padikkal and AB de Villiers have multiple fifties already. Aaron Finch got his first in the previous match. Except for Virat Kohli, the others are getting runs. And the skipper needs just one innings to get back into the rhythm. If that happens, RCB’s top order will be among the best operating this season.

Weaknesses: The bowling still has problems. In their match against MI, they had their opponent on the mat at 78/4. Then they slowly let things slip away from their grasp. RCB should not have let the match reach the Super Over. The bowlers are leaking way too many runs for Kohli’s liking.

Opportunities: Isuru Udana and Adam Zampa were drafted into the playing XI to shore up the bowling. The two of them combined to take three wickets. They need to do even better to seal their spots and take the team further.

Threats: To bring much-needed balance to the side, de Villiers kept wickets in the last match. Given that he is 36 and operated under humid conditions, he was drained at the end. Can he keep going like this? To keep wickets and own the responsibility of being one of the team’s top two batsmen is very challenging. The team should look to manage his workload so that he doesn't get injured or need to skip matches due to exhaustion.

The SWOT for RR

Strengths: The depth in bowling. Against KKR, Steve Smith had as many as seven bowling options at his disposal. It allows a captain to pull back if a frontline bowler has an off day and shouldn't have to cost the team the match.

Weaknesses: Jos Buttler has looked a bit rusty in the two matches that he has played. RR need Buttler to be at his best to string victories together.

Opportunities: Ankit Rajpoot has bowled well in two matches and has the opportunity to keep the momentum going.

Threats: Tom Curran is a good all-rounder but he is not Ben Stokes. The absence of Stokes will need to be covered with the rotation of multiple players.

Head to head:

Matches played: 21

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 8

Rajasthan Royals: 10

No result: 3

Last five matches:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: W-L-W-W-NR

Rajasthan Royals: L-W-W-L-NR

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

Sanju Samson (wk), Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, AB de Villiers, Shivam Dube, Tom Curran, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ankit Rajpoot

Ground conditions

This will be the first match of the season to start in the afternoon. The players will have to deal with unfamiliar conditions and extreme heat with the temperature above 37 degrees celsius. The humidity will be around 46%. There will be a gentle breeze.

Team news

No injuries to players reported.

Impact player for RCB

AB de Villiers: With two fifties and an average of 67, de Villiers is RCB’s leading run-scorer this season. He can help build an innings and accelerate when needed. De Villiers needs to fight for that orange cap all the way through the tournament.

Impact player for RR

Sanju Samson: With 16 sixes, the young batsman has hit the most sixes in the tournament so far. Against a struggling bowling line-up, we could see Samson scoring big once again.

Betting odds (bet365)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 4/5

Rajasthan Royals: 1/1

How to watch

The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 3.30 PM IST.