IPL 2021, RCB vs SRH: 3 player battles to watch out for

Not so often in the Indian Premier League (IPL) do we witness a dead rubber contest. With Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) having sealed their playoff spot, their penultimate match of the league against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) could have some major implications tonight.

A win for RCB would put Virat Kohli's side level on points with the Chennai Super Kings and right in the hunt for the second place in the points table, making them eligible to play in the Qualifier 1.

While SRH have nothing but pride to play for, they are expected to give their young guns another go and play party-poopers for RCB.

On that note, we take a look at three player battles to watch out for in this contest.

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#1 Sandeep Sharma vs Virat Kohli

Surprisingly, this is a match-up which has been dominated by the right-arm medium pacer. Sandeep Sharma has managed to bag the RCB skipper seven times in IPL history. The last time the two faced each other, Kohli could only score 11 runs off the 13 deliveries he faced against Sandeep.

Uncharacteristically, Kohli averages just 10.4 runs against Sandeep in IPL history. The RCB skipper has also had a tough time against Jason Holder recently, with the big West Indian having the wood over him the last couple of times the two faced each other in the IPL.

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#2 Rashid Khan vs AB de Villiers

Batting isn't as easy as it seems, even for the great AB de Villiers, when you're facing one of the best T20 bowlers in the world. Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has had the better of the Proteas player thrice in the IPL.

However, among the big three of RCB (Kohli, ABD & Glenn Maxwell), De Villiers is the only batter with a strike rate of over 100 (120) against Rashid Khan in the IPL. When the two battled it out in a T20I back in 2016, the South African hammered Rashid for 35 off just nine deliveries.

RCB will be hoping for something similar this time out, as they patiently wait for their star man to find his best form heading into the business end of the tournament.

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#3 Yuzvendra Chahal vs Jason Roy

After moving to the UAE for the second leg of the IPL, RCB are yet to take a wicket in the powerplay. Their new-ball bowlers haven't been able to find the answers to get wickets on the pitches that have usually been best suited to batting with the new ball.

With Jason Roy's struggles against wrist spin a well-known fact, RCB could be tempted to go for Yuzvendra Chahal in the powerplay and take advantage of a fascinating match-up.

Chahal has got the better of Roy four times in T20 matches. In IPL 2018, Chahal got the better of Roy twice, dismissing him twice in 10 balls and giving away only two runs. Their recent meeting in the India vs England T20I series earlier this year was an entertaining affair as well. Roy scored 45 runs against the 25 deliveries he faced against Chahal and was dismissed only once.

The Englishman will be hoping for more of the same this time around.