The battle lines have already been drawn. The stage is set as Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans battle it out for arguably the most coveted cricket franchise title in the world – the Indian Premier League crown. RCB have been trendsetters this year, having topped the group stage with nine wins and the most superior Net run rate. GT were second.ย
They met each other in Qualifier 1 when RCB blew the Titans apart on the back of a whirlwind Rajat Patidar, the RCB captain who smashed 93 from 33 balls. Their bowlers would be fresh from those memories after the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna took a beating.ย
Having been asked to chase an almost impossible target of 255, the GT batters succumbed to the occasion, falling for just 162. They would also be looking for revenge when these two sides exchange blows at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Here we take a look at three battles that can decide the outcome of this match.
1 – Virat Kohli vs Kagiso Rabada: Virat Kohli’s battles with Kagiso Rabada will be a gripping one. The Indian icon has scored 131 runs against the Proteas star in all T20s in 17 innings but has fallen to him five times. He has an average of 26.2 and a strike rate of 143.95 against him.
2 – Kohli vs Jason Holder: Kohli’s face-off against Holder will also be a closely watched contest as he has made 98 runs in 10 innings and has been dismissed by him four times, including twice in this season itself.
3 – Shubman Gill vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar: GT captain Shubman Gill’s battle with Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be another one to watch out for. Gill has made 80 runs in 14 T20 innings against Bhuvi at an average of 13.33 and a strike rate of 101.26. He has been dismissed six times by Bhuvi.
4 – Jos Buttler vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Bhuvneshwar has also tasted success against Jos Buttler. Buttler has scored 123 runs in 21 innings (111 balls) against Bhuvi at an average of 13.66 and a strike rate of 110.81. He has been dismissed by Bhuvi nine times.
5 – Devdutt Padikkal vs Rashid Khan: Devdutt Padikkal has been key for RCB this season. However, he does not enjoy facing leg-spinner Rashid Khan, a match-up that should be positive for him. Padikkal has made 40 runs in nine innings (44 balls) at an average of 8 and a strike rate of 90.9. He has been dismissed by Rashid five times.
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