3 player battles to watch out for in RCB vs LSG, Match 15 of IPL 2024 ft. Virat Kohli vs Naveen-ul-Haq
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will host the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in IPL 2024 tonight. It is the third consecutive home game for RCB, who have a 50% win record on their home turf this year.
RCB won their first home game of the season against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) last Monday but lost against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday. On the other side, LSG have some momentum on their side as they beat PBKS in their previous outing.
LSG and RCB had a high-scoring game last year at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the visitors emerged victorious on the last ball. While Bengaluru avenged that defeat in the reverse fixture hosted by Lucknow, RCB will aim to defeat LSG on home soil tonight.
Both LSG and RCB have their own strengths and weaknesses. Tonight's IPL 2024 match winner might be decided by the outcome of the following three-player battles.
#1 Virat Kohli (RCB) vs Naveen-ul-Haq (LSG)
Last year, Virat Kohli had a spat with Naveen-ul-Haq during the reverse fixture between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The team's then mentor Gautam Gambhir also got involved in the heated conversation.
While the dispute between Kohli, Naveen, and Gambhir has now been resolved, fans would still love to see who comes out on top when Kohli and Naveen square off in the IPL for the first time since their heated argument.
Notably, Naveen dismissed Virat once during the India vs Afghanistan T20I series earlier this year. The LSG pacer will try to do the same when he goes up against the RCB star tonight in IPL 2024.
#2 Glenn Maxwell (RCB) vs Mayank Yadav (LSG)
Express pacer Mayank Yadav announced his arrival in IPL 2024 with a spectacular bowling performance against the Punjab Kings on debut. Yadav won the Man of the Match award for his three-wicket haul against PBKS on Saturday evening.
In the upcoming match, Yadav will go up against the destructive RCB all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. While Maxwell played some fantastic knocks on Indian soil last year, he has struggled to get going in IPL 2024. LSG team management will hope that Maxwell has another forgettable day in the office tonight, and they might entrust Yadav with the responsibility of dismissing him.
#3 Mohammed Siraj (RCB) vs KL Rahul (LSG)
Mohammed Siraj has been Royal Challengers Bengaluru's go-to bowler in the powerplay overs. He has done a phenomenal job for India in this role, and RCB fans have high hopes from him.
On the other side, Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul will play on his home turf tonight. Rahul grew up playing cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, and no one in the LSG camp would have a better idea about the conditions than him.
Rahul has scored 96 runs off 53 balls against Siraj in IPL, but the RCB bowler dismissed him for the first time last season. Siraj will try to execute his plan once again and get rid of Rahul cheaply tonight.