IPL 2022, PBKS vs RCB: 3 player battles to watch out for

IPL 2022 is officially underway and the second match of the Super Sunday double feature is the high-octane clash between the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

The last two times both these sides met, they each won a game, But it will be a clean slate when they clash at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday (March 27). With new skippers in Faf du Plessis and Mayank Agarwal, both units will look to open their accounts in what promises to be an explosive contest.

Both sides are filled with bonafide superstars, we look at the player battles to watch out for.

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#1 Faf du Plessis vs Sandeep Sharma

All things considered, it's a question of who gets the better of whom when RCB's newly-minted skipper Faf du Plessis takes on the swingman Sandeep Sharma when the two sides meet.

Du Plessis heads into this IPL on the back of an incredible run with the bat in CSK's title-winning run last season. He has scored 633 runs from 16 matches, including six fifties, the most in his IPL career so far.

Sharma picked up just three wickets last season at an economy of 8.63. With both players turning out for new teams, they will look to cement themselves with solid performances from their first game of the season.

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#2 Shikhar Dhawan vs Mohammed Siraj

An experienced IPL veteran against one of the most improved and promising quicks in the country today, Mohammed Siraj will look to repay the faith after RCB retained him ahead of Devdutt Padikkal and Yuzvendra Chahal.

The Hyderabad quick was instrumental for Bangalore last season, spearheading the bowling attack. He may have just 11 wickets to show for but an economy rate of 6.78 was enough to strangle batters.

Dhawan comes off a run-filled IPL 2021 scoring 587 runs in Delhi's run to the playoffs. The southpaw will be eager to make a mark with a new franchise and he will be up against the pace and swing Siraj brings to the table.

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#3 Virat Kohli vs Rahul Chahar

In all probability, Virat Kohli will bat at No. 3 and that would mean facing off against the spin of Rahul Chahar. The leggie will be eager to prove a point after he was let go by his former franchise, the Mumbai Indians. Chahar had a fair season picking up 15 wickets and he will be brought in because of Kohli's limitations to leg-breaks.

What makes for a spicy contest is the fact that Kohli is free of the captaincy. If RCB's social media pages are anything to go by, he's been raring to get back out there. Can Kohli recreate the magic of 2016? Only time will tell.