Top five player battles to watch out for in RR vs RCB Eliminator match in IPL 2024

The RR vs RCB Eliminator match in the IPL 2024 will take place on Wednesday in Ahmedabad.

It is time for a super-hyped-up game in the playoffs of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The Eliminator match will be played between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

A defeat here will end the journey of the losing team in this competition, while the winning team will move on to Qualifier 2, where the second finalist will be decided. RCB have great momentum with them, having won their last six matches on the trot. On the other hand, RR lost their last four completed games, where they struggled to put in a collective effort.

RR vs RCB: Head-to-Head

These two teams have met 31 times in the IPL before this game. RCB have a small lead with 15 victories as compared to 13 wins for RR, while three matches were called off.

RR vs RCB: Top five player battles to watch out for

1. Faf du Plessis vs Trent Boult

Faf du Plessis won Man of the Match in RCB’s last game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), with the skipper’s performance propelling RCB into the playoffs. The RCB captain led from the front and will be a very important batter once again.

Notably, du Plessis has won the joint-most MOTM awards in the IPL playoffs; so Faf will be a big wicket for RR, who will be hoping that Trent Boult knocks him over early. Du Plessis doesn’t have a great record against Boult. The Kiwi pacer has dismissed du Plessis twice in international cricket. In the IPL, he has dismissed him four times in 113 balls, with du Plessis scoring 126 runs.

2. Virat Kohli vs Sandeep Sharma

Virat Kohli is in sensational form in IPL 2024, and he is making it count with every innings. The former RCB captain has also improved his strike rate, which has been observed in his approach in the powerplay and against spinners later in the innings. But Sandeep Sharma is one of the few bowlers who have troubled Kohli in the IPL. These two have come up against each other several times. Kohli has scored 87 runs off 67 balls from Sandeep at a strike rate of 129.9 and has lost his wicket seven times in this battle.

3. Rajat Patidar vs Ravi Ashwin

Rajat Patidar is extremely dangerous against spin and has been on a song in the second half of the IPL 2024. He has scored five half-centuries in his last eight innings. His ability to hit sixes of spinners makes him a destructive batter. RCB’s success heavily depends on Patidar’s performance.

Patidar would be looking to smash RR spinners out of the park, but Ravi Ashwin will not be an easy bowler to target. Ashwin has had success against Patidar: the off-spinner has dismissed the RCB batter twice in 16 balls in the IPL.

4. Sanju Samson vs Mohammed Siraj

Jos Buttler is not available for the playoffs, so Sanju Samson will have added responsibility. The RR captain will look to take his team over the line in this must-win clash and break the losing streak. He could come up against Mohammed Siraj.

Siraj has done well against Samson. The RCB pacer has dismissed the RR captain thrice in the IPL. Meanwhile, Samson has only scored 36 runs off 31 balls from him at a strike rate of 116.1.

5. Riyan Parag vs Lockie Ferguson

Riyan Parag has been the highest scorer for RR this season. Hence, he will be a crucial figure for the Royals in this RR vs RCB clash on Wednesday. Parag bats in the middle order and has been on a great hitting spree against pacers this season.

It will be interesting to see how he will deal with Lockie Ferguson, who bowls at an express pace. Ferguson may get some help at the Narendra Modi Stadium and could be a difficult bowler to face. Ferguson dismissed Parag in IPL 2022, when he was part of Gujarat Titans (GT).

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