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The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will return to home turf after a run of five away games to face the league leaders Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday, May 21.
The contest also marks the final match of the league stage of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) and comes of great importance, especially for RCB.
GT have already secured a place in the top two and will be looking to hone some of their areas ahead of their Qualifier 1 clash with Chennai. RCB, on the other hand, will have to win to get to 16 points and secure the final place in the top four. MI are currently on 14 with a game left, but with an inferior net run rate, while RR have played all of their matches to finish with 14 points.
RCB had a mixed time at home in the first half of the tournament, winning three and losing three so far. On the other hand, GT have been dominant on the road, having only lost one match, which came at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
On that note, let us take a look at three player battles to watch out for in RCB vs GT in IPL 2023.
#1 Virat Kohli vs Mohammed Shami
Virat Kohli roared back into form and shed the allegations of poor tempo in the middle overs by orchestrating the run chase against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and scoring his sixth IPL ton in the process as well.
The ace batter has been in good form at the RCB's home venue as well and will pose to be one of the biggest hurdles that GT will have to overcome in their first trip to the venue.
Shami, on the other hand, has shown his credentials in the shortest format and is the current Purple Cap holder with 23 wickets to his name so far. The majority of the wickets he has claimed have been in the powerplay, which does not come as a surprise, given his ability to bowl with the new ball.
Shami has dismissed Kohli five times in the shortest format in 11 outings while Kohli has amassed 90 runs at a strike rate of 136.36.
#2 Shubman Gill vs Mohammed Siraj
Shubman Gill is having a landmark IPL season and recently breached the 500-run mark with his maiden ton in the competition. His partnership up top and chemistry with veteran Wriddhiman Saha has been the bedrock of GT's batting this season.
However, the thing here to note is that Gill does not particularly have a good record against RCB. He averages only 22.75 against the three-time finalists, which is the lowest among all of the opponents he has faced so far in the IPL. He has also only scored eight runs in two innings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
RCB's spearhead Mohammed Siraj will be keen to exploit Gill's woes against RCB. While the pacer endured a lean patch midway through the tournament, he picked form with two back-to-back solid spells against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and SRH. Moreover, Siraj has a formidable record at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium with the new ball.
Gill is yet to lose his wicket to Siraj in six innings and has scored 40 runs at a strike rate of 148.14.
#3 David Miller vs Harshal Patel
The death overs have often proved to be the differentiating factor in matches at the iconic venue. With the top-order batters scoring the bulk of runs, GT have not been as reliant on David Miller as they were in the previous season.
The South African star has still made his presence felt with crucial cameos down the order and his services might be required in the upcoming clash against RCB as well.
Harshal Patel is the chief architect for RCB in terms of their death bowling and has taken 13 wickets at an economy of 9.88.
The matchup between the two players at the back end of the innings might prove to be crucial. The pair have come across each other in 11 matches to date, with Miller scoring 105 runs at a strike rate of 169.35. Harshal, meanwhile, has dismissed the southpaw twice.
Who will win the upcoming contest between these two sides to conclude the league stage of IPL 2023? Let us know what you think.
