Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL Tips: Royals should prove too strong

• Bangalore overrated

• Swerving Buttler

• Jaiswal boost

• Read about Ed's Betfair Exchange strategy below

Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Saturday 6 April, 15:00
TV: Live on Sky Sports

Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore team news

Royals are waiting on Jos Buttler and Yas Jaiswal to turn up. The latter can be streaky so there will be little concern. But the England man is a worry. Against Mumbai on a flat wicket chasing a small target he was strokeless. Sandeep Sharma could return.

Possible XI: Buttler, Jaiswal, Samson, Parag, Hetmyer, Jurel, Ashwin, Boult, Sandeep, Chahal/DUbey (subs), Avesh, Burger

Bangalore may try to find room for Will Jacks but it would mean axing one from Glenn Maxwell, Reece Topley or Cameron Green. The truth is, though, their bowling is a bigger issue, even more than Virat Kohli's method of accumulation.

Possible XI: Kohli, Du Plessis, Green, Maxwell, Rawat, Lomror/Dayal (subs), Karthik, Dagar, Siraj, Topley

Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore pitch report

Scores of 193 and 184 in the first dig so far in Jaipur are trend busters. Previously seven times in the last 12 IPL fixtures first-innings scores had come in under 170. In the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Trophy there were only three of more than 150 in 14. Bangalore might be a short at a par line of 177 if the surface returns to the mean.

Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore match odds

There's a lot to like about Rajasthan but the market may need some convincing. How else to explain a pre-toss price of 1.834/5 about the hosts? That or the match odds remain enthrall to Kohli.

Royals' efficiency, all-round game and general smarts should have little truck with the chaos of RCB, who have significant issues which are unlikely to be solved because of poor squad building.

Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore Exchange strategy

Any sort of drift in the Royals' price is a snaffle if they bowl first. This is the Kohloi factor again. The market will be keen to get with RCB if Kohli is striking at around 130 in the powerplay, expecting a big score.

But Royals are a bet to chase anything up to 230 for our money so could represent great in-play value.

Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore player bets

The Buttler problem. We'd like to keep faith with him because of a superb win rate. But at the Wankhede against opponent he had dominated and on a surface which he had thrived, he was a shadow of his former self. There is always one batter (at least) which costs us on win rates in tournaments and it might be him.

Fortunately Yas Jaiswal has been boosted to 3/14.00 which is bang in line with his win rate. It could be argued he is due a score.

For Bangalore, Kohli is boosted to 11/43.75. He does score too slowly but that maters little for his success on the market. His low-risk approach is good for the bet.

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