RCB old boy Chahal could be the difference in season's first Royal Rumble

Yuzvendra Chahal spent eight seasons playing his home games in Bengaluru, but on Sunday, he will walk out of the away dressing room at the Chinnaswamy Stadium for the first time in his IPL career.

Royal Challengers Bangalore opted against offering Chahal an extension ahead of the 2022 mega auction, instead spending INR 10.75 crore to secure the services of Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga. Chahal, meanwhile, attracted bids from four different teams before Rajasthan Royals won the lot at INR 6.5 crore - only three-fifths of Hasaranga's price.

Hasaranga's first season for RCB was a real success. He finished with 26 wickets as they reached the playoffs for a third successive season, and ended second in the race for the Purple Cap. But the man that beat him to that award was Chahal, who has played a major role in Royals' recent success and has extended his wicket-taking form into 2023.

Chahal's three games against RCB last year brought mixed results: 2 for 15 in a defeat at the Wankhede, 0 for 23 in Royals' win in Pune, and 0 for 45 in the second qualifier in Ahmedabad. And while he is unlikely to admit it publicly, he must be itching to prove a point against his old franchise this weekend.

He has a stellar IPL record at the Chinnaswamy, with 51 wickets at the venue; nobody else has taken even 30. Given RCB's occasional slowdowns against spin in the early stages of this season, his four overs could determine the outcome of this Royal Rumble.

Royal Challengers Bangalore WLWLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals LWWWL

Josh Hazlewood has been in India for the last week but is still completing his rehabilitation from an Achilles injury and did not travel to Mohali for RCB's midweek victory over Punjab Kings.

He bowled freely in training on Saturday afternoon, but as of Thursday night, was still awaiting Cricket Australia's clearance to feature, and Wednesday's game against Kolkata Knight Riders may be a more realistic comeback.

Faf du Plessis was used only as a batter on Thursday because of an intercostal strain sustained in the defeat to Chennai Super Kings on Monday, and RCB are expected to take a late call over his potential participation as a fielder and captain.

Royal Challengers Bangalore
The batter involved in the substitution will depend on du Plessis' fitness; if he is able to field, it is likely to be Suyash Prabhudessai, who spends their fielding innings on the bench. Conditions at the Chinnaswamy will determine whether they require an extra seamer in Vijaykumar Vyshak, or Karn Sharma's legspin.

They might also bring David Willey back in place of Wayne Parnell, in a like-for-like switch. Willey had a long bowl at training on Saturday, while Parnell did not train.

Possible XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Mahipal Lomror, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Suyash Prabhudessai, 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Wayne Parnell/David Willey, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Vijaykumar Vyshak/Karn Sharma

Rajasthan Royals
Royals have hardly used Jason Holder's batting - he has faced two balls so far this season - and he has not been at his best with the ball. Throw in the possibility of a drier pitch in the afternoon sun and there may be a case for Adam Zampa to play; if they bat first, they can delay the call until the innings break by starting with three overseas players. Will they finally lose patience with Riyan Parag?

Possible XII: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Devdutt Padikkal, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 Riyan Parag, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Jason Holder/Adam Zampa, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal.

Stats that matter

Sunday's game will be played on a central strip, and there were a few small patches of live grass on a good length as of Saturday afternoon. RCB will wear a green strip instead of their usual red as part of their long-standing sustainability initiative.

"They've always backed me with my batting ability. This year, especially, when spinners are operating from both ends, they want to use me as a floater. That's something that I was told way before the season, so I can prepare for that."
Harshal Patel on his new role with the bat.

"Three or four times, I have been lucky. I'm up to the challenge tomorrow and hoping for the best - that this time, as well, I get lucky."
Sandeep Sharma plays down his exceptional record against Virat Kolhi.