Ahmedabad: Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2022 at Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Friday.
Rajasthan, who lost to Gujarat in Qualifier 1, didn’t make any change in their team for this important clash.
“We will bowl first. The wicket is a bit sticky and hopefully it will help our bowlers first-up,” said RR skipper Samson at the toss.
“Yesterday we had a good practice session. Everyone is happy and excited for the game. Emotionally everyone is connected to the team and the franchise. Important to keep calm and cut off the noise, trust yourself and just play another game of cricket. No changes for us,” he added.
On the other hand, Bangalore, who defeated Lucknow Super Giants in Eliminator, also stuck to the same playing XI.
“We were actually looking to bat first, it looks like a good pitch and we believe runs on the board in a big game will count in our favour. Guys had a good rest yesterday, but today everyone has turned up really fresh and pumped up for the game,” said RCB skipper Faf du Plessis.
“Tonight we are playing a very strong team and it is all about doing the right things. It’s an amazing ground, incredible to play in front of so many people. We are playing the same team,” he added.
The winner of this game will face debutants Gujarat Titans in Sunday’s final.
Playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(w), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj.
(IANS)
