3 player battles to watch out for in LSG vs RCB, Match 59 of IPL 2025 ft. Virat Kohli

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will host the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 59th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Friday, May 9. The contest will be hosted by the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

LSG have lost their previous three outings and will be desperate to make a comeback. A defeat tonight will knock them out of IPL 2025. Lucknow currently sit seventh in the standings with 10 points, including five wins and six defeats.

RCB, on the other hand, will look to strengthen their playoff claim with a win tonight. They occupy the second position in the table with 16 points from 11 games, including eight wins and three defeats.

With two sides coming into the game vying for a win, a cracking contest beckons fans in Lucknow. Ahead of the match, we take a look at three exciting player battles to watch out for.

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#1 Virat Kohli vs Mayank Yadav

The former RCB skipper has been in scintillating form in IPL 2025. He is currently in the fourth position in the highest scorers list with 505 runs in 11 matches at an average of 63.13, including seven half-centuries.

Virat Kohli will again look to dictate terms in the powerplay and set the tone for the batters to follow. However, LSG's Mayank Yadav might challenge the ace batter, who can hurry up batters with his express pace. Although Mayank has conceded 100 runs in his last two outings, his raw pace still gives him the advantage.

The right-arm pacer will be pumped up while bowling against Kohli, which will make the duel worth watching for.

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#2 Nicholas Pooran vs Suyash Sharma

The LSG wicketkeeper-batter made a thunderous start to the IPL 2025, tearing into bowling attacks for fun. However, Nicholas Pooran has witnessed a dip in form, going for low scores in his last five outings.

The West Indian will look to hit the strides against RCB and regain his momentum. Pooran will bat in the middle phase of the game, where he is mostly expected to face leg spinner Suyash Sharma. The young spinner has looked good in this year's cash-rich league, bowling the difficult overs for his side.

Pooran will look to take Suyash on, while the bowler will look to outsmart the batter with his sharp googlies. The southpaw has scored 15 off five balls against Suyash in T20s at a strike rate of 220.

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#3 Aiden Markram vs Krunal Pandya

Aiden Markram has been a force to be reckoned with for LSG in IPL 2025. The South African has amassed 348 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 146.83, including four fifties.

RCB will look to introduce left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya in the powerplays to nullify the Markram threat in the first few overs. Krunal has enjoyed decent success against Markram in T20s, getting him thrice in just eight deliveries while conceding only four runs.