Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be hosting the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 15th match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, April 10. The three-time finalists were dragged back to reality after a mammoth 81-run defeat at Eden Gardens against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday, April 6.
RCB were outplayed across all departments, they have a lot of questions to answer, particularly their batting against spin bowling. LSG, on the other hand, got their campaign back on track following their five-wicket win over SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at home on Friday, April 7. The KL Rahul-led side will face a huge challenge at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, given that they lost their first away game at the equally intimidating Chidambaram Stadium against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
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Both sides are battling either injury or availability issues with their cricketers. The balance of their squad, bolstered by the all-rounders, makes it an interesting clash. Interestingly, RCB is yet to taste suffered a defeat against LSG in the IPL, having a 2-0 record over them. Their latest clash was during the IPL 2022 playoffs, where Rajat Patidar’s incredible hundred knocked LSG out of the competition.
With another closely contested match on the horizon, here are three player battles to watch out for.
#1 KL Rahul vs Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj bowled a scathing spell in the powerplay against the Mumbai Indians (MI), where he bowled three overs on the trot. His spell was imperative for RCB to set the tone for the game and they will be hopeful of a similar performance tonight. However, KL Rahul’s dominant record against Siraj says otherwise. Rahul is yet to come out of his shell in IPL 2023, having been greeted by slow tracks in Lucknow so far.
LSG skipper has amassed 91 runs off 47 deliveries bowled by Siraj across five innings at a strike rate of 193. He hasn’t been dismissed by the pacer in T20s and has also struck five sixes against Siraj to stamp his authority. While Siraj has the upper hand in terms of form, Rahul definitely holds the statistical benefit, making this match-up crucial and a must-watch.
#2 Virat Kohli vs Krunal Pandya
Virat Kohli began IPL 2023 with a dominating knock of 82 to steer RCB to a win over the Mumbai Indians. He was bamboozled by Sunil Narine in the team’s subsequent clash, leading to his match-up against the LSG spinners. While the surface at the Chinnaswamy Stadium would not spot as much turn as LSG have had so far in their matches in Lucknow and Chennai.
Using a spinner who is comfortable bowling in the powerplay could be considered by the LSG team management. Krunal Pandya emerges as the perfect candidate for the role, and his superior record over Virat Kohli is the cherry on the cake. He has managed to dismiss Virat just since on 10 occasions but has been able to restrict the batter to a great extent.
#3 Nicholas Pooran vs Harshal Patel
Death overs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium have proven to be fundamental over the years. Roped in for a whopping sum of ₹16 crores at the 2023 mega-auction, Nicholas Pooran has done well for LSG so far coming down the order. He has played only one IPL match at the iconic venue in Bangalore, where he scored 46 runs at a strike rate of 164.3.
The tips are scaled towards LSG in this particular matchup, with Pooran having a dominant record over RCB’s chief death bowler, Harshal Patel. The right-arm pacer has not had a good start to the tournament and has conceded 53 runs to Pooran across 37 deliveries in five innings at a strike rate of 143.24 to date.
