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It's all on the line as the formidable Rajasthan Royals (RR) take on a resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2022 playoffs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday (May 27).
Rajasthan will head into this contest getting their second shot at the title. Bangalore will look at this as another eliminator. They rode on Rajat Patidar's brilliant century to overcome the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and will hope to see their big three stand up for the marquee clash.
Both sides have played against each other twice in IPL 2022 and have both won a contest each. While Rajasthan has been relatively well-rested, Bangalore had just one day off after their humdinger against Lucknow.
With both IPL teams filled with bonafide superstars, the outcome of this game will depend heavily on the player battles that ensue in Ahmedabad. Ahead of the key encounter, we take a look at the three player matchups to watch out for.
#1 Sanju Samson vs RCB's Wanindu Hasaranga
Pit the Royals skipper against RCB tweaker Wanindu Hasaranga, who has dismissed him in five of of their six clashes in T20 cricket. Sanju Samson walks into the game on the back of a fluent 40-run knock against the Gujarat Titans.
RCB have done a better job with the ball mid-innings in majority of their IPL 2022 matches, and much of that success can be attributed to Hasaranga and Harshal Patel operating in tandem.
Catch the next match on the IPL timetable 2022 here.
#2 Faf du Plessis vs Trent Boult
It's been a rather quiet IPL 2022 for Faf du Plessis. While he has had some knocks that stand out, he's been largely kept quiet by seamers who have managed to nick him off. He was dismissed for a duck in the previous game against Lucknow and will be keen to make amends.
However, he will be up against the nippy pace and accurate lengths of Trent Boult — the Royals' third highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets from 14 matches. This player battle will all be about experience.
#3 Yuzvendra Chahal vs Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik may have been RCB's Mr. Dependable this season, but the veteran batter has struggled against leg-spinners. Ravi Bishnoi gave him a bit of a hard time in the eliminator, something Yuzvendra Chahal will look to replicate.
The tweaker has enjoyed considerable success against Karthik, dismissing him thrice in all of their encounters. It shouldn't come as a surprise if Samson holds back on over just to prize out the Tamil Nadu batter.
