IPL 2022 playoffs, RR v RCB: Predicting the playing XI of both sides

Battle Royale is on the cards as Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lock horns in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2022 playoffs. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host Qualifier 2 on Friday (May 27) and the IPL final on Sunday (May 29).

Both IPL teams have been largely consistent when it comes to fielding their best XI. RCB have been one of the sides that has made very few changes to the side so far this season.

For Rajasthan, the league stage was all about finding the right combination. They dropped their retained opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for a few games, but brought him back and were rewarded with a couple of fifties. This meant their opening combination was sorted, with Jos Butler holding steady at the other end.

Bangalore replaced David Willey and Sherfane Rutherford made way for Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood, respectively. Suyash Prabhudessai and Anuj Rawat received a few games, with the latter getting an extended rope.

That said, both franchises seem to have pretty much finalized their playing XI leading up to this clash, unless something unexpected forces a change in the squads.

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Predicting RR and RCB's playing XI in Qualifier 2

It's safe to speculate that both sides will remain unchanged. What can be debated upon is the playing order. The Royals have shuttled Ravichandran Ashwin up and down the order, and his ability to find the rope at will during the powerplay has forced bowling teams to change their plans.

The Challengers played Siddharth Kaul in their last league game against the Titans, but brought back Mohammed Siraj for the key clash. It's unlikely they'll tweak their squad ahead of the game.

Here's our predicted playing XI:

RR: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C and Wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy, Prasidh Krishna

RCB: Faf du Plessis (C), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (Wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj

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What are your predictions for the playing XI ahead of RR vs RCB?