IPL 2023: 3 Key Match-Ups to Watch-Out in RCB VS RR Match No.32

IPL 2023: A dangerous-looking Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will host table-toppers Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 32 of the ongoing IPL 2023 season at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, April 23. When it comes to the head-to-head record between RCB and RR, the Bangalore-based team is slightly ahead of the Rajasthan-based team. In 28 clashes between these two top teams, 13 have been won by RCB while RR has won 12 games. Three games were abandoned.

After a humiliating loss against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at home, RCB got back on the winning track with a convincing win over the Punjab Kings in Mohali. Though Faf du Plessis didn’t take part in the whole game and played only as an impact player, he still top-scored for his team to reach. RCB has the fifth position with three wins and the same number of losses this season. Apart from du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell are also batting consistently this season. However, they look like a top-heavy team with a reliable middle order and lower middle order. Mohammed Siraj has been sensational with the ball and is well-supported by Harshal Patel, Wayne Parnell, and Wanindu Hasaranga.

Rajasthan, after losing to Lucknow at home, will look to get back to winning ways. Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are in good touch. Also, they have world-class spinners in their arsenal, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Ashwin. Chahal will be playing against his ex-ground in a ground where he has picked most of his IPL wickets. RR have great depth in their batting line-up and have a good mix of bowlers which makes them favorites to win the afternoon fixture in Bangalore.

IPL 2023: Top Player Battles to Keep an Eye on in RCB VS RR Game:

3) Jos Buttler vs Mohammed Siraj

Buttler is currently in 4th place on the IPL 2023 Orange Cap table with 244 runs in 6 matches with three fifties to his name at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 146.9. One of the most explosive openers in T20 cricket, Buttler goes hard in the powerplay overs and takes the attack on the bowlers. Mohammed Siraj, the current purple cap holder, has been lethal with the new ball in the first six overs. He has troubled the opposition top-order batters and will look to do the same against RR  The right-hander RR opener has scored 41 runs off 27 balls at a strike rate of 151.9. Siraj has dismissed Buttler only once in the IPL. The contest between the two in-form players will be mouth-watering.

2) Shimron Hetmyer vs Harshal Patel

Shimron Hetmyer is coming into his own as a finisher for the Royals. In the tournament so far, the powerful Caribbean has struck 15 sixes against only 7 boundaries and has played a big hand in RR’s wins. The left-handed batter has smashed 185 runs at an astounding average of 92.50 and a blistering strike rate of 177.88. He will enjoy batting in Chinnaswamy, widely regarded as a batting paradise. Harshal Patel, who has picked seven wickets in six games this season will have the responsibility to bowl in the back end. The death overs specialist will not only have to contain runs but also have to get him out cheaply because if stays in he can cause some serious damage to the home team.

1) Virat Kohli vs Yuzvendra Chahal

There was a time when Chahal was playing under Virat Kohli and now they will be going up against each other in an attempt to get the better of each other. Both have faced each other quite a lot in the nets, so both are familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Both have fared well in the tournament thus far. Chahal is in the top wicket taker’s list and has 11 scalps from six matches, including a four-wicket haul against SRH. On the other hand, Kohli has rediscovered his form in the IPL and has scored 279 runs in six IPL games with the help of four half-centuries to his name. Kohli has been running riots in the tournament. It’ll be a huge challenge for Chahal to get his ex-skipper out but he has all the tools to do so.