Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will kickstart the proceedings of the third double-header weekend of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 when they square off in Match 33 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Both the teams will be eyeing a winning return. While RR lost their last game against Delhi Capitals (DC), RCB were beaten by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in their last game but occupy a spot in the top four having registered five wins from eight games. Meanwhile, RR are currently on the seventh position in the points table having won three matches. In their last meeting, it was RCB who had come out on top.

RR have been one of the most unpredictable teams in the tournament so far, often winning from positions of no return, and relinquishing control despite being in the driving seat. The Royals are currently placed second from the bottom. They are not in the greatest position at the moment and will need to bounce back quickly to have any chance whatsoever to qualify for the playoffs.

The Royals' lack of depth in the batting lineup continued to hurt them in the previous match and brought about the debate regarding the decision to open with Ben Stokes in the picture yet again. With no experience available in the slog overs, Rajasthan Royals have stumbled too often in the crunch situations and while Tewatia did a brilliant job to bail them out of a few of those situations, RR would need someone to take the onus to finish the games.

With the ball, however, the Royals have looked a lot more improved team in the last few matches. They have employed the short-ball effectively against all teams and we could see that again in the upcoming match as well, especially with the ground having long side boundaries. Jofra Archer, undoubtedly, has been the Royals' best bowler, and the youngsters have played their parts beautifully. The addition of Ben Stokes adds to the variety of their bowling attack without taking anything away from the batting.

While the Royals one of the best top-order in the competition, at least on paper, that hasn't reflected in the performances of the team. More often than not, the Royals have found themselves relying on their lower middle-order. Jos Buttler looked in fantastic touch in the last match and might be the player to watch out for in the upcoming contest.

After a terrific start to the tournament, the Royals certainly seem to have lost their way. However, the return of Ben Stokes has certainly boosted their strength and we are likely to see a much-improved and balanced performance from the Royals in the upcoming matches.

After a remarkable win over Kolkata Knight Riders, the Challengers shot themselves in the foot against KXIP by not sending AB de Villiers to bat at his regular position. As a result, RCB lost all the momentum that they had and ended up with just 171 runs on the board despite getting a big last over. Their performance with the bat also highlighted their dependence on AB de Villiers to accelerate the innings on a slow-low surface.

While Virat Kohli has generally been good with his tactics in the tournament so far, it was surprising to see him hold Chahal back when the only way to win the match was to get wickets. The other bowlers not only failed to pick up wickets but also expended runs at a heavy rate.

Their bowling had done well in their last two matches, but the lack of consistency will certainly be an issue. The likes of Chris Morris and Navdeep Saini were brilliant against KXIP as well, but the experience or lack thereof was clearly apparent when their bowlers failed to pick up wickets. Mohammad Siraj, in particular, was smashed for plenty in his spell and although he has done well in the series so far.

On paper, Royal Challengers Bangalore are an incredibly balanced side. The form of Aaron Finch will be concerning and we might see him getting replaced by Josh Phillipe or Moeen Ali if things do not get better. While Padikkal has been pretty good, the onus to score quickly and provide impetus to the innings has more often than not been on AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. Both those batsmen have had their troubles facing quality leg-spinners and RCB could be in a bit of trouble if none of the two batsmen in question fires in the upcoming match.

The Challengers have a lot of moving parts but the lack of consistency has been a problem for them.

Weather Forecast
It is going to be a very warm day with hazy sun. The maximum temperature is likely to reach 36 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature reaching around 24 degrees. The forecast shows no chance of rain and the humidity is likely to be lower than usual at around 28 per cent.

Pitch Report
This is a day game and the dew will not have any impact whatsoever here. The pitch here is comparatively faster than other pitches in the UAE but it tends to slow down as the game progresses and will help spinners. Express fast bowlers, as well, have been pretty effective here primarily due to the effective usage of the short ball. The team batting first would want to score a total of at least 170 runs here.

Toss Prediction
The teams now are increasingly preferring to bat first. The upcoming match is a day game and with heat likely to test the fitness, no team would want to bowl first. With no dew to assist the team batting second, the captain winning the toss is expected to bat first.

Stats and Facts
Head to head: Matches Played: 22
Rajasthan Royals: 10
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 9
No Result: 2 Abandoned: 1

Approaching Milestones:
Robin Uthappa needs 6 runs to complete 4500 IPL runs.
Jos Buttler requires 5 sixes to complete 50 IPL sixes for RR.
Virat Kohli needs 3 fours and 3 sixes respectively to complete 500 fours and 200 sixes in IPL.
AB de Villiers needs 3 catches and 46 runs respectively to complete 100 IPL catches and 4000 IPL runs for RCB.

Likely XIs:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (capt), AB de Villiers (wk), Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Washington Sundar, Isuru Udana, Navdeep Saini, Mohammad Siraj/Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Steven Smith (capt), Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa/Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal/Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi

Players to Watch Out For:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Morris, Yuzvendra Chahal
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Steven Smith, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer

Match Odds:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1.72
Rajasthan Royals: 2.10

SantaBanta's Winner Prediction: Royal Challengers Bangalore

IPL 2020 Winner Live Odds
Mumbai Indians - 2.752
Delhi Capitals - 3.75
Royal Challengers Bangalore - 4.333
Chennai Super Kings - 8
Kolkata Knight Riders - 10
Sunrisers Hyderabad - 19
Rajasthan Royals - 29
Kings XI Punjab - 46

Match Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Time: 3.30 PM IST
TV: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP