3 player battles to watch out for in PBKS vs RCB, Match 27 of IPL 2023
It is a double-header Thursday in IPL 2023 today. The first match of the day will take place at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, where the Punjab Kings will lock horns with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
PBKS and RCB have struggled with consistency in IPL 2023 so far. Both teams find themselves outside the Top 4, having played five matches each in the competition.
Punjab Kings hold the fifth position with three wins from five matches, while the Royal Challengers Bangalore are eighth in the standings with two victories in five outings.
PBKS and RCB have had a great rivalry in the IPL so far. Their matches have never failed to entertain the fans. The upcoming battle between the two franchises promises to be a spectacular one as well.
In this listicle now, we will look at the player battles that fans should keep their eyes on during the IPL 2023 match between the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
#1 Arshdeep Singh vs. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is among the world's best batters. However, the Royal Challengers Bangalore star has struggled a bit while playing against the left-arm fast bowlers. In his last innings, Kohli lost his stumps to Chennai Super Kings' uncapped pacer Akash Singh in the first over itself.
Punjab Kings have India's top left-arm pacer, Arshdeep Singh, in their squad. Singh has been phenomenal for the Mohali-based franchise over the last few seasons, but he has never dismissed Kohli.
Kohli has scored 24 runs off 13 balls against Singh at a strike rate of more than 180. It will be interesting to see if Kohli can maintain his good record against the PBKS pacer.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan vs. Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj has been the top performer for RCB's bowling unit. The Indian pacer has troubled batters a lot in the powerplay overs. In the absence of Josh Hazlewood, Siraj has stepped up and delivered the goods for RCB.
He will be up against Shikhar Dhawan today. Dhawan has been the backbone of PBKS' batting lineup in IPL 2023. Siraj has dismissed Dhawan once in the IPL while conceding 35 runs off 27 balls. Their battle in the powerplay will surely have an impact on the result.
#3 Sam Curran vs. Harshal Patel
Punjab Kings all-rounder Sam Curran has the responsibility to score runs in the slog overs for his team. Harshal Patel, on the other hand, is the lead death bowler for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Patel and Curran have never faced each other in the IPL. It will be exciting to see which player comes out on top during the slog overs of PBKS' innings today. Patel had a forgettable outing against Chennai Super Kings on Monday, where he was taken out of the attack after bowling two waist-high no-balls.