3 player battles to watch out for in RCB vs CSK, Match 24 of IPL 2023 

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will play their third consecutive home game when they face four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Monday, April 17. Both sides are at a crucial juncture in their respective campaigns after making a mixed start - two wins and two defeats.

The Faf du Plessis-led RCB bounced back to winning ways after a dominant display against the Delhi Capitals (DC). More than the win, the franchise will be delighted to put in their best bowling of the season display yet. While Bangalore have been highly potent in the powerplay, they have gone on to lose their way with the ball across the first set of matches.

CSK, on the other hand, suffered a narrow loss against table toppers Rajasthan Royals (RR). The Yellow Army's biggest headache apart from injuries has been their approach in the middle overs. Skipper MS Dhoni lamented the lack of strike rotation during the run chase against RR and the performances of Shivam Dube and Ambati Rayudu have been erratic, to say the least.

The winner of the highly anticipated clash will get to six points and leapfrog a number of teams to claim the fourth spot for the time being.

On that note, here are three player battles to look forward to during RCB vs CSK in IPL 2023.

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#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Mohammed Siraj

Ruturaj Gaikwad began the tournament with consecutive fifties but has lost a bit of steam after two sub-par outings. He is still a vital cog in the CSK batting unit and will have a stern test in the form of dealing with RCB's impeccable powerplay bowling, especially Mohammed Siraj.

Not only has the right-arm pacer bowled the most dot balls in the tournament so far, but he has also been among the wickets. Troubling the batters with his swing and scrambled seam exploits, the shaky CSK middle order could be exposed early if Siraj makes the ball talk.

The new ball matchup between the two Indian players will have a huge say in the process depending on who gets the upper hand. Siraj is yet to dismiss the opening batter and has gone on to concede 52 runs off 36 deliveries at a strike rate of 144.

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#2 Glenn Maxwell vs Ravindra Jadeja

Glenn Maxwell holds the RCB middle order in a lineup that has been largely carried by Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis so far.

While the Australian all-rounder has come out all guns blazing in the tournament so far, the ball turning away from him continues to be his nemesis. He was dismissed off the first ball against Kuldeep Yadav in RCB's win over DC.

Maxwell has been dismissed by spin twice in the tournament already and will have to be at his best against an in-form Ravindra Jadeja. The left-arm spinner has a dominant record against Maxwell in the shortest format, given that he has dismissed the Aussie seven times across the 14 times they have come against each other.

In the 54 deliveries he has faced from Jadeja, Maxwell has been able to score 72 runs at a strike rate of 133.

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#3 MS Dhoni vs Harshal Patel

MS Dhoni has been in sparkling form this season and has had to shoulder a lot of responsibility in terms of closing out the innings on the back of the middle order's poor showing.

The Chinnaswamy Stadium is among the favorite venues statistically for the CSK skipper. While Dhoni averages 92 with a strike rate of 180, his biggest obstacle will be in the form of death overs specialist Harshal Patel.

The tournament has only gone on to prove how crucial the death overs are at RCB's home venue, which goes to show how important this particular matchup might end up being.

The veteran wicketkeeper-batter has not had the best time facing Harshal over the years. In eight innings against the right-arm pacer, Dhoni has only scored 25 runs off 32 deliveries with no sixes at all. He has also lost his wicket twice to Harshal.

Who will win the contest between RCB and CSK in IPL 2023? Let us know what you think.