IPL 2024, RCB vs LSG: Decoding the key player battles
Match 15 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) will see Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Lucknow Super Giants. Many chinks in RCB's armor were exposed after they failed to defend 182 against Kolkata Knight Riders a few days back. Meanwhile, LSG beat Punjab Kings in their preceding outing. They bounced back brilliantly while defending 199. Here we decode the key player battles.
KL Rahul vs Mohammed Siraj
KL Rahul has been a run machine in the IPL, though he could only manage 15 runs in his preceding outing. He will be up against Mohammed Siraj, who has been nothing but sensational in the powerplay overs. Across six IPL meetings, Rahul has slammed 96 runs at a strike rate of 181.13 against Siraj while being dismissed once.
Nicholas Pooran vs Alzarri Joseph
Nicholas Pooran can inflict some serious damage toward the end overs. He might have to tackle his West Indies teammate Alzarri Joseph in the slog overs. The speedster has enjoyed operating against Pooran in the T20 format, dismissing him twice across seven meetings while conceding just 33 runs off 29 balls. However, Joseph's economy in the last four overs this season reads 9.5.
Glenn Maxwell vs Mayank Yadav
Glenn Maxwell is yet to fire this season and he would be raring to go big against LSG. He might be up against speed merchant Mayank Yadav's thunderbolts in the middle overs. The latter claimed three wickets on his IPL debut a few days back while clocking consistently over 145 KMPH. The Australian, however, boasts an IPL strike rate of 150.87 against pace bowling.
Virat Kohli vs Krunal Pandya
Virat Kohli will have to do the heavy lifting for RCB and given his nature of dismissals, Rahul may opt for Krunal Pandya early on. Krunal has dismissed Kohli once in 12 IPL meetings. However, he has kept Kohli quiet as he has scored only 109 runs in 103 balls (SR: 105.82). Kohli owns an IPL strike rate of only 115.75 against left-arm spinners.
Pitch report and other details
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host this duel on April 2 (7:30pm IST). The wicket here usually assists the batters right from the start. This venue has played host to several high-scoring games in the tournament. However, spinners can make life difficult for batters. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on JioCinema.