Lowest totals for a team in the IPL (bowled out)

RCB - 49 vs KKR in 2017

RR - 58 vs RCB in 2009

RR - 59 vs RCB in 2023 today*

DC/DD - 66 vs MI in 2017

UNBELIEVABLE. SIMPLY UNBELIEVABLE. What have we just witnessed?

RR have been bowled out for 59 and they've suffered a 112-RUN DEFEAT!

That's the end of their IPL 2023 campaign. What a horrendous showing from the hosts! 

Easily the worst batting performance of the season, and probably the worst batting performance in IPL since RCB's 49. 

This is probably right up there when it comes to the worst ever batting performances in IPL history. Utterly, utterly embarrassing from Rajasthan. Where do they go from here?

That being said, take no credit away from RCB. Siraj set the tone from the very first over and the RCB bowlers, collectively as a unit, did not let the RR batters breathe at all. They were spot on with the lines and lengths they bowled and pounced on every opportunity that was offered to them. 

A 10/10 performance with the ball and on the field by Faf du Plessis' side. They are now in an extremely good position to make it to the playoffs. 2 wins should, in all likelihood, do it for them.

Karn also has a wicket now. Make that at least a wicket each for every RCB bowler that's bowled tonight.

Can Karn put RR out of their misery in this over itself?

It was always going to be a matter of time before Hetmyer perished due to how risky his approach was. He's now holed out to Maxwell at long-on.

RCB are closing-in on a 100+ run win.  MI, PBKS and LSG are going to be absolutely livid with this dismsal RR showing. Shockingly bad.

ANUJ RAWAT CAN DO NO WRONG TONIGHT!  He's just pulled off a classic Dhoni trick.

After smashing a hat-trick of sixes, Hetmyer carved one through point. He initially called Ashwin for two but quickly sent the off-spinner back. 

Ashwin looked like he would get back easily but an unbelievable bit of work from Rawat saw the wicket-keeper deflect the throw onto the stumps by flicking the ball. 

Deary me, what are you doing, RR?

49 under threat? SURELY NOT?

Long hop from Bracewell, Jurel tries to deposit into the stands but instead holes out to Lomror at deep mid-wicket.

Game, set and match RCB, surely. This is getting embarrassing for RR.

Worst PP totals for RR in the IPL:

28/5 vs RCB in 2023

41/5 vs KKR in 2020

17/4 vs KKR in 2021

29/4 vs MI in 2013

30/4 vs DC in 2019

Joe Root's forgettable first innings comes to an end. He survived one LBW call a couple of overs ago. No luck this time around. 

Parnell traps him in front from 'round the wicket and Root has to depart for 10 off 15 balls.

And RR have lost half their side.

RCB potentially looking at a massive NRR boost! 

Most ducks for an opener in an IPL season:

Herschelle Gibbs (DCH) - 4 in 2009

Shikhar Dhawan (DC/DD) - 4 in 2020

Jos Buttler (RR) - 4 in 2023

It's gone from bad to worse for RR. Faf brings in Bracewell and Padikkal immediately departs.

He looks to nudge the off-spinner through the on-side but the ball holds and ends up finding Siraj at short mid-wicket.

An outstanding take from Siraj, who crouched and made a very difficult catch look simple. 

Feels like RCB are one wicket away from sealing the contest.

There was that audacious scoop, but Root has nevertheless struggled to get his batting to flow.

12 balls in, he's only managed 8 runs and has barely connected anything outside that scoop. Feels like he's trying hard to muscle the ball through mid-wicket.

Both RR openers dismissed for duck in IPL:

S Asnodkar & G Smith vs DCH in 2009

Y Jaiswal & J Buttler vs RCB in 2023 today*

RCB think they've got Joe Root trapped in front, but Root reviews and gets the decision overturned.

He then scoops Siraj to collect his first boundary in the IPL.

RCB well on top, but things are starting to unfold in Jaipur. 

Do not take your eyes off this game, even for a second! 

RAJASTHAN ROYALS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? UNBELIEVABLE THIS! 

Short from Parnell, Samson looks to pull this but ends up getting a top-edge.

The ball went miles up in the air but Anuj Rawat settled under it and took a fine catch.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT? BUTTLER HAS SMASHED PARNELL STRAIGHT TO THE FIELDER AT POINT!

That's two in two overs for RCB. And both RR openers have departed for a duck.

Unbelievable scenes. But such a soft dismissal. Both dismissals, if we're being honest.

The wicket means it's Joe Root time. FINALLY! 

A wicket, a couple of dots and a boundary off the final ball. What a start to the chase.

If this is the sign of things to come, we're in for an absolute treat! 

But this was just the start RCB needed. A big opening partnership and the game was as good as done.

HUGE, HUGE MOMENT IN THE MATCH!  A potentially huge moment in the context of RCB's season.

Full from Siraj, Jaiswal smashes it straight into the hands of the fielder at mid-off. No mistake made by Kohli. 

What a moment in the game. Just what RCB needed. 

Right, RCB have brought in an extra spinner. It'll be interesting to see who RR sub in today. Padikkal, Parag or someone else?

Will they even be required to use the impact sub?

WHERE HAS THIS VERSION OF ANUJ RAWAT BEEN ALL SEASON?

SIX, SIX AND FOUR to finish the innings and RCB take 18 off the final over. And with that, they breach the 170-run mark. What a finish.

RR will be disappointed with that final over. They had a golden chance to head into the break with all the momentum but RCB will feel slightly pumped now. They've got to what looks like a par score.

But that being said, overall, RR would have gladly taken 171 at the start if you'd offered it to them.

Not bad at all, considering he's bowled 1 in the powerplay and 2 at the death. And yes, he also predominantly bowled to Maxwell who was in beast mode.

So, can RCB somehow get to 165? That might be just about par. Big six balls coming.

MAXWELL MISSES, SANDEEP HITS!  AND IT'S A HUGEEEEEE BREAKTHROUGH! 

Maxwell looks to reverse-sweep Sandeep but the bowler nails his leg-stump yorker. 

Maxwell couldn't reach it and the ball crashed on to the stumps. Bulls eye.

Massive wicket for RR. This could easily have saved about 25-30 runs.

AND HE GETS THERE WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY HIT!

He moves all the way up to sixth / seventh stump and deposits Chahal over the vacant backward square leg region. 

That was SOME HIT!  And Maxwell is single-handedly carrying this RCB innings now.

What. A. Player.

Dinesh Karthik vs leg spin in IPL since 2020:

Innings - 24

Runs - 62

Dismissals - 11

Average - 5.6

Strike rate - 80.5

MAKE THAT THREE WICKETS IN SIX BALLS! ZAMPA REMOVES DK FOR A DUCK!

Oh my days. DK vs leg-spin has always been a tragicomedy and the story continues.

He is trapped plumb in front by Zampa and has to depart for a duck. RCB in big, big trouble now.

One brings two for RR. And you can't blame Lomror on this occasion for going for it. The situation demanded it.

He looks to slog sweep Zampa but miscues it completely. Taken by Dhruv Jurel at long-on after a slight juggle. 

RCB can ill-afford to finish weak.

Huge, huge wicket for RR. And it's come at a time when Faf was looking to unleash. Asif gets his second and it's a deserved breakthrough.

Another cutter from Asif, du Plessis looked to cream it over covers but instead ended up finding the safe hands of Jaiswal.

Faf would be disappointed with that. This looks like the kind of wicket in which you need a set batter to bat through.

Anyway, a timely breakthrough for RR! 

BOOOOOOOOM! Short from Asif, Faf stands still, holds his shape and HAMMERS it over square leg to bring up his fifty.

Yet another fifty for the RCB skipper. His SEVENTH of the season. 

This man is really having the season of his life at the age of 38. OUTRAGEOUS!

Most runs scored by a non-opening pair in an IPL season:

de Villiers-Kohli (RCB) - 939 (2016)

Gayle-Kohli (RCB) - 593 (2012)

M Hussey-Raina (CSK) - 587 (2013)

Dhawan-Kane (SRH) - 577 (2018)

Faf-Maxwell (RCB) - 550 (2023)

An okay-ish defensive spell from Ashwin, which is slightly ruined by a six from Maxwell.

Ashwin tossed it up and Maxwell measured the delivery and thumped it over the sight-screen.

41* off 25 for the Victorian, who yet again is playing an absolute blinder. What a player this man is!

That's Maxi for you. You simply cannot afford to err against him.

He first revere-swats Sandeep over third-man after walking down the track, and then punches a short one over point.

Sandeep started with three excellent deliveries but got unsettled by Maxwell eventually.

RCB nearing 100. They need at least 75-80 more from here to post a competitive total.

The second 600-run season for du Plessis in his IPL career. And he's achieved this at the age of 38. Surely he's faking his age? Unbelievable.

Most runs for Faf du Plessis in an IPL season

633 for CSK in 2021

616* for RCB in 2023

468 for RCB in 2022

449 for CSK in 2020

Spin choke? Nope, RR are deploying the pace choke via KM Asif. 

What a two overs this man has bowled. He first got the wicket of Virat Kohli and now he's managed to concede just three of his second despite bowling to a very hungry Faf and Maxwell.

Back-to-back dots to Maxwell to finish that over off. How often do you see that? Especially when Maxwell is in this kind of mood?

Round 1 today has been won by Maxwell.

A proper game of chess, this. But it's Maxwell who has come out on top, having taken 10 runs off Chahal's second. Finishes the over with a lovely punch off the backfoot that bisected both fielders with surgical precision.

29 off 3 overs for RCB post the powerplay. Maxwell (15* off 7) is already making a big difference.

At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Virat Kohli has a strike rate of 94.3 in eight innings, his lowest at a venue where he has batted five or more innings.

BOOOOOOOM! THIRD BALL SIX FOR GLENN MAXWELL!

Flighted from Ashwin, Maxwell picks the length early and thumps the ball down the ground.

A hugeeeeeeeee six. And a much, much needed big hit for RCB, who desperately need to get a move on.

ASIF PROVIDES THE BREAKTHROUGH FOR RAJASTHAN!

And it's the knuckle ball that's done the trick. Kohli looks to dance down the wicket and go downtown, but he's foxed by the pace of the delivery. The ball goes straight up and it's safely taken by Yashasvi Jaiswal at cover.

A forgettable day for Kohli. He perishes for 18 off 19 balls, having hit a solitary boundary. 

Oh dear, Faf living dangerously. He could easily have been run-out twice in two balls. First a mix-up between him and Kohli, the second one a tight single.

Fastest to 4000 IPL runs

KL Rahul - 105 inns

Chris Gayle - 112 inns

David Warner - 114 inns

Faf du Plessis - 121 inns

Virat Kohli - 128 inns

A streaky boundary off the final ball annoys Ashwin, but that's still a very good powerplay for Rajasthan. Their bowlers have been absolutely on the money on a slow-ish track, and have restricted RCB to just 42. Just four boundaries conceded in the entirety of the powerplay.

They'll be keen to properly choke the visitors with spin now.

It's just not happening for Kohli and Faf at the moment. Both openers are struggling to find the gaps, Kohli in particular. He has faced 15 balls and is going at run-a-ball.

Important for RR to finish the powerplay strongly. Ensure there's not a big over that shifts the momentum towards the direction of RCB.

Make that 12 double-digit scores in a row for Faf du Plessis. 'Low score' is not something that's in his dictionary, it seems.

Long-overdue and it's come off the bat of Faf du Plessis. A rare bad ball from Zampa, who bowls a long hop. Faf rocks back and deposits it into the stands in trademark fashion.

A much needed big over for RCB, who take 12 off it. 

You reckon RCB need at least 50 in the powerplay. That's 21 more in the next two overs.

RR, meanwhile, need to strike. 

That's much, much better from Sandeep, who bowls a well-rounded second over. No loose balls on this occasion and he did not give the two right-handers an inch.

RCB struggling to find the boundaries. Just one boundary off the first 18 balls of the innings.

This is Faf du Plessis' 12th innings this season and he was not dismissed in single digits in any of his first 11 knocks. 

Can he keep the streak going, or will RR become the first team to get du Plessis out for a single-digit score in IPL 2023?

Samson throws the ball to Zampa early and the leggie is on the money up-front. Was lucky in a way that a full toss was not dispatched by Faf, but, apart from that, he gave the two batters no breathing space whatsoever.

Just three off Zampa's first over. 

Oh, Sandeep Sharma and RR will be bitterly disappointed with that penultimate ball. 

With the ball swinging into the right-hander, RR had stacked the on-side and left no cover on the other side, but Sandeep, after four good deliveries, bowled short and wide on the fifth. It got dispatched to the boundary deservedly by Kohli.

Good start for RCB. 

Right then. Sandeep Sharma to take the new ball in the absence of Trent Boult.

Can he dismiss Kohli for a record 8th time?

Virat Kohli vs Sandeep Sharma in the IPL: 

Innings - 14 

Runs - 78 

Dismissals - 7 

Average - 11.1 

Strike rate - 132.2 

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(w), Michael Bracewell, Wayne Parnell, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj

Impact subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Finn Allen, Shahbaz Ahmed, Himanshu Sharma, Suyash Prabhudessai

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Adam Zampa, Sandeep Sharma, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Kuldip Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Donovan Ferreira

Faf calls it right and RCB have won a toss in a day game again. And they'll be batting in a day game, again. 

Mind you, RCB have so far batted thrice in day games this season and have won all three. They'll be hoping to keep the 100% record.

Two changes for RCB: Josh Hazlewood out, Wayne Parnell in. Wanindu Hasaranga out, Michael Bracewell in. So no Hasaranga vs Samson tonight, the RR skipper will be a relieved man.

A big change for RR too. Adam Zampa comes into the XI in place of Trent Boult.

98*, 35, 14, 124, 77 — without question, Yashasvi Jaiswal is in the form of his life.

He is, in fact, not just in the form of his life but batting as well as anyone has in the IPL in a long, long time. In RR's last game, against KKR, he struck the fastest ever fifty in IPL history, getting to the landmark off just 13 balls.

Can RCB stop the Jaiswal train? They might have to, if they're to win the clash today and keep their playoff hopes firmly alive.

For that, though, their bowlers will need to get back on track. Before I type out this next stat, I warn RCB fans to look away.

For they've conceded 387 across the last 199 balls they've bowled. 

We’re officially into the final phase of the group stages of IPL 2023 and in an hour’s time, what will be kicking off is arguably the most significant clash of this season, yet.

Rajasthan Royals take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur and it is effectively a do-or-die clash. 16 is the magic number for teams and the loser of today’s contest will, at best, will only be able to get to 14. 

Mathematically both sides will still be able to make it to the playoffs even if they lose today, but, practically, going through will be next to impossible. 

Last season, it was Rajasthan who shattered RCB’s IPL dreams, thrashing them in Qualifier 2. Can they do the same twice in two years? 

A fascinating four hours await us!