3 player battles to watch out for in RR vs RCB, Match 19 of IPL 2024 ft. Virat Kohli vs Trent Boult

It promises to be a blockbuster Saturday in IPL 2024 as the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be hosting the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Jaipur.

It is a special game for the Royals as a part of their Pink Promise initiative where they will play for the women of Rajasthan and this gives them added incentive to make it four wins in a row.

RCB, on the other hand, have had a torrid start to their IPL 2024 season as they have lost three out of their first four games. However, they have good memories of their previous fixture against RR in Jaipur where they smashed the hosts by 112 runs. The Royals were bundled out for just 59 in that game and Bengaluru could take inspiration from that performance.

On that note, let's take a look at the three match-ups that could decide the flow of the high-profile clash:

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#3 Jos Buttler vs Mohammed Siraj

RR opener Jos Buttler hasn't really got going in IPL 2024 so far and that's possibly one of the very few weaknesses they have in what has been a sensational start to their campaign.

He has looked a bit vulnerable against the moving ball and RCB would love to exploit that by unleashing Mohammed Siraj.

Siraj has conceded 41 runs in the 29 balls that he has bowled to Buttler in T20s. However, he has also dismissed the England star twice and that makes this a riveting match-up.

It will be interesting to see if Buttler resorts to counter-attack in order to get back lost form.

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#2 Glenn Maxwell vs Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal has been pretty vocal about being disappointed on not being retained by RCB ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.

The RR spinner will probably have that extra hunger to do well against his former franchise and also has a favorable match-up in the form of Glenn Maxwell.

Glenn Maxwell has hit three boundaries and four sixes off Chahal, amassing a total of 65 runs off 46 balls against the leg-spinner in the IPL.

However, the big-hitter has also been dismissed thrice and Chahal will know how to make use of the bigger dimensions at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Maxwell isn't among those who will back down and that makes this match-up even more intriguing.

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#1 Virat Kohli vs Trent Boult

Despite RCB's indifferent start to IPL 2024, Virat Kohli has been in sensational form and has kept his team in the hunt in most of their games so far.

In four matches, Kohli has scored 203 runs at a strike rate of 140.97 and is the current holder of the Orange Cap.

However, just like any other opener facing the Royals' bowling, Kohli will be tested against the quality of Trent Boult. The left-arm pacer is fresh of a Player of the Match performance against the Mumbai Indians where he dismantled their top order.

Kohli has scored 60 runs from 47 balls in the IPL off Boult and has been dismissed just once. However, if the Kiwi pacer hits the right lengths early on and gets the ball to swing late, it could cause some discomfort for the star RCB batter.