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Everyone's eyes will be on Karn Sharma when the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lock horns with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 43rd match of the IPL 2023 on a sluggish and two-paced Ekana pitch on Monday, May 1.
Karn has done nothing wrong on his behalf to get dropped from RCB's playing XI, having picked up five 5 wickets from three games in his limited outings.
But the return of Wanindu Hasaranga made sure that RCB had to sit out Karn, with the Sri Lankan being their preferred spinner.
Hasaranga has so far taken six wickets in five matches and has been included in the playing XI based on his superior batting abilities compared to Karn.
But on a pitch like Ekana, where the average score is 140, RCB would be tempted to play Karn.
On that note, we will discuss why RCB should not have second thoughts about playing Karn Sharma against LSG.
#3 Ekana pitch assists spinners
Ekana has proven to be the second version of the Chepauk Stadium, where spinners and slow bowlers' roles have become much bigger compared to other pitches used in the IPL so far.
With a 55 percent wicket split, it would be a viable option to play both Hasaranga and Karn to choke the LSG batters in the middle overs.
With two leg spinners playing, RCB would have the option to use either in the backend of the innings, where pace off the ball might prove to be much more effective than bowling pacers.
#2 Playing Karn opens up an overseas slot
If RCB decide to strengthen their soft middle order by including another spin-bowling all-rounder in Michael Bracewell, then playing Karn Sharma would not be such a bad option.
Benching Wanindu Hasaranga may sound weird, but there's not much difference between the performances of the Lankan and Karn.
Also, with the Impact Player rule, this move could well turn out to be a good one on the Ekana surface.
#1 A favorable matchup against LSG's right-handed-heavy batting lineup
The Lucknow Super Giants' batting unit includes right-handed batters like KL Rahul, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, and Deepak Hooda, who have negative match-ups against leg-spinners and left-arm spinners.
Playing two-leg spinners might prove to be a great option against LSG, with all the above-mentioned batters having struggled to get going against them. Barring Stoinis, the other batters' strike rate against leggies hovers around 120.
