IPL 2022: Rajasthan Royals will meet Gujarat Titans in the final after beating Royal Challengers Bangalore

Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal (21 off 13 balls) launched the chase with a rollicking stand of 61 in 31 balls, and captain Sanju Samson (24 off 21) and Buttler batted out Bangalore with a 52-run stand. Devdutt Padikkal ensured there were no hiccups, adding 35 with Buttler.

Earlier, Rajat Patidar rode his luck to post a 42-ball 58 and strung together two partnerships with captain Faf du Plessis (25) and Glenn Maxwell (24), but Bangalore lost the early momentum along with a clutch of wickets. The final flourish never came as Krishna and McCoy turned up the heat with miserly overs in the slog.

Buttler's stunning ton

A six of Harshal Patel takes Buttler to 106 and the Rajasthan Royals overhaul Royal Challengers Bangalores 157. Rajasthan finish with 161/3 in 18.1 overs. Rajasthan Royals will meet Gujarat Titans in Sunday's final.

The Padikkal hiccup

Devdutt Padikkal has struggled for runs in IPL this year. His tepid stay ends, but Rajasthan are in no danger. They are 148/3, 10 runs away from victory

Buttler's flashing blade

Samson's departure has slowed down the scoring as the Rajasthan batters cut out risky shots since only run a ball was required. Enter Hasaranga, and Buttler savages him with two sixes. Rajasthan are racing to the target. They can't lose from here unless there is a spectacular collapse. 148/2 in 16.4 overs

Samson throws his wicket again

Rajasthan's chase was in full control, but Samson launches an ambitious shot against Hasaranga and is stumped. A couple of wickets here will allow RCB to get back into the game. Samson's exit has given them a small opening. 114/2 in 12.1 overs

A 50 for Buttler

Buttler continues from where he left from the last game against the Gujarat Titans. Today, the RCB bowlers have felt the full force of his slashing blade as Buttler continues to score with ferocious hits around the wicket. Butter is is 56 not out and Rajasthan are 81/1 in 8 overs

Jaiswal falls amid run riot

Rajasthan suffer a setback with the fall of Jasiwal, but the youngster has provided the momentum for the chase with a half-century partnership with Jos Buttler. Bangalore need more wickets quickly to make match of it. 61 runs in the powerplay is superb, but Rajasthan should build on it. 68/1 in 6.2 overs

Electric start for Rajasthan

Yashasvi Jaiswal provides Rajasthan's chase a flying start with two sxes and a four against Mohammed Siraj in the first over. No jitters. No caution. Buttler takes two fours from Siraj's second over and Rajasthan look ominous. Bangalore need wickets here. 37/0 in 3 overs

Midway summary: Prasidh Krishna, McCoy throttle RCB

Prasidh Krishna (3-22) and Obed McCoy (3-23) struck decisive blows in the slog overs to put the Rajasthan Royals in control of Qualifier 2 in the Indian Premier League 2022 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. Bangalore finished with a below-par 157/8 in 20 overs.

Rajat Patidar rode his luck to post a 42-ball 58 and strung together two partnerships with captain Faf du Plessis (25) and Glenn Maxwell (24). But the final flourish never came as Krishna and McCoy turned up the heat with good overs.

A target of 158 is well within Rajasthan’s sights. But they shouldn’t lose too many wickets early on.

RCB finish with below par 157/8

Rajasthan struck back in the slog and Bangalore failed to get a powerful finish. Their power hitters perished and RCB ended up with 157/8 in 20 overs. A below par total.

Two wickets in two balls

Prasidh Krishna dismisses Dinesh Karthik and Wandindu Hasaranga in two successive balls and RCB have lost their early advantage. Rajasthan apply the squeeze and look to keep RCB total under 170. Right now it's 154/7 in 19 overs

Rajasthan claw back 

A couple of wickets and Rajasthan are back in the game. Mahipal Lomror and Dinesh Karthik are dismissed and RCB hopes in the slog overs take a hit. Shahbaz Ahmed is capable of powering away, but the momentum is with Rajasthan. 146/7 in 18.2 overs

Patidar's fine knock

Rajat Patidar rode his luck to post his second 50 in a row. But the RCB batter falls in the bid to accelerate the scoring, caught on the fence off Ashwin. Rajasthan need some of wickets to get back into the game. 132/4 in 16 overs

Maxwell falls, but RCB are well placed

Boult returns to take out Maxwell, but by then Maxwell had given the RCB scoring a fillip. They are well on course to a good total unless Rajasthan reel them in with a clutch of wickets. 116/3 in 14.4 overs.

Maxwell steps on the gas

The RCB scoring has picked up pace since the arrival of Maxwell, who has taken on the bowlers. Patidar has been lucky on a couple of occasion, but he's making the most of it. Bangalore are poised for a good total. Rajasthan will need a couple of quick wickets to stifle the RCB scoring. 107/2 in 13 overs

Du Plessis departs

Half the overs have gone and RCB are 74/1, but they now need to push the scoring rate, which is a shade below 8. They have nine wickets in hand, and the time has come to take a few more risks. But they suffer a setback as Du Plessis (25) falls to Obed McCoy. 80/2 in 10.5 overs. Glen Maxwell will look to push the run rate.

Bangalore repair early damage

Rajat Patidar and captain Du Plessis negotiated some tricky deliveries from Boult and Krishna, but never missed chances to score. At the end of the powerplay, RCB are 46/1 and they will be happy not have lost more wickets although Riyan Parag dropped Patidar. Rajasthan spinners Ashwin and Chahal will come on and that will decide the course of the Bangalore innnings. They have wickets in hand and that will make for an absorbing tussle.

Kohli's struggles continue

A six of Trent Boult should have released the tension for Virat Kohli. But that wasn't the case as he nudges Prasidh Krishna to the keeper Samson, and Royal Challengers Bangalore suffer an early setback. IPL 2022 has turned out to be a forgettable one for the former Indian cricket captain, who mustered a handful of fifties, but they all lacked him stamp of authority. Bangalore cannot afford to lose another wicket in the powerplay. 17/1 in 2.5 overs

The toss and teams

Sanju Samson wins the toss and the Rajasthan Royals elect to bowl first.

Both teams are unchanged.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (captain), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain & wicketkeeper), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy, Prasidh Krishna

Rajasthan have an edge over Bangalore

A battle royale awaits. It’s the clash of the Royals: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore. At stake is a place in the final of IPL 2022. The winners at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, tonight [Friday] will meet the Gujarat Titans in Sunday’s final.

Who has the upper hand today? It’s actually too close to call.

Bangalore are coming off a win in the Eliminator against the Lucknow Super Giants. And that gives them plenty of courage and confidence since it was engineered by Rajat Patidar when big batters Virat Kohli, captain Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell failed. And bowlers Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga and Shahbaz Ahmed put the squeeze after the early Lucknow rampage and weathered the late blitz to usher in victory.

In contrast, Rajasthan lost to Gujarat in the first qualifier despite some good batting efforts from Jos Buttler, captain Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal. One of the better attacks in Season 15, Rajasthan were ill-served by their bowlers, particularly Ravichandran Ashwin and Prasidha Krishna, in that game.

If Rajasthan bowl to potential, Bangalore could be in for a fright. In fact, it could be the gamechanger. So Rajasthan bowling holds the key to today’s result.