In the 15th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be locking horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Abu Dhabi. Both RCB and RR have started the season strongly, with two wins in three games each. There is a different vibe around RCB, with the duo of Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal adding much-needed freshness to the team.
With AB de Villiers and Yuzvendra Chahal going through a purple patch, RCB would be desperate for Virat Kohli to get his form back also join the party against RR. On the other hand, the Royals themselves have done well with the bat, with Steve Smith’s promoting himself to open the innings having worked wonders for them. However, it has all been about Sanju Samson and Rahul Tewatia, who went ballistic in their game against KXIP last week.
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While there are a few concerns over their bowling attack, the English pacer, Jofra Archer is one to watch out for as the Royals eye their third win of IPL 2020. RR will be fancying their chances to win the game, as they have won all their last four games against RCB. However, they will be wary of a decent RCB bowling attack, with Navdeep Saini, in particular, having impressed against MI in the Super Over.
As the two sides prepare for a thrilling encounter, here’s a look at three key player battles to keep an eye on.
#1. Steve Smith vs Yuzvendra Chahal
In the absence of Ben Stokes, RR skipper Steve Smith will be playing a crucial role. He has consistently done well in IPL in recent times as he had amassed 472 runs with three fifties in 2017 and 319 runs, in 2019 against with the help of three fifties. This season he will have to be at his very best for the RR to do better.
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Smith’s battle with the Indian leg-spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal could be an interesting one as the latter has been known for troubling one of the best of batsmen. Chahal has the highest wicket-taker for RCB so far in the season.
#2. Virat Kohli vs Shreyas Gopal
With every match-winning innings that Virat Kohli plays, he manages to witness an increase in is fanbase. He is yet to fire in IPL 2020 for RCB, but he looked in good nick during the super over against MI. He will most likely face a stern challenge from the RR leg-spinner, Shreyas Gopal.
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The leg-spinner had a wonderful 2019 season when he scalped as many as 20 wickets at a strike-rate of 14.40, which featured a hat-trick against RCB as well. With his bag of tricks, Gopal has often been seen troubling some stalwarts like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Most definitely, he would be looking forward to taking on the likes of the RCB skipper.
#3. AB de Villiers vs Jofra Archer
An attacking batsman against a fiery fast bowler makes for an intriguing contest. And RCB veteran, AB de Villiers is among the most aggressive batsmen on the T20 circuit. He blasted it out in the last season of IPL when he scored runs 442 at a strike-rate of 154. Even if he spends only a couple of overs at the crease, he can make the most of it.
But, the contest is like a double-edged sword. While fast bowlers have also been seen leaking runs in IPL 2020, they also have the capability of making batsmen look embarrassingly bad if they get their line and length right. Jofra Archer is nothing short of one of the most fearsome fast bowlers in IPL he has scalped 27 wickets in 22 matches at a strike rate of 19.07. He has performed against the best in the business and has made his mark with his guile.
