3 player battles to watch out for in SRH vs RCB, Match 65 of IPL 2023
IPL 2023 returns to Hyderabad one last time as the Sunrisers Hyderabad will host the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a match tonight. Hyderabad will aim to entertain their home fans with a win in their last home match of the season.
On the other side, this is a virtual do-or-die match for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB are fifth in the standings at the moment, having won six of their 12 matches so far in the league stage. The Bangalore-based franchise need to win their last two league matches to have a solid chance of finishing in the Top 4.
RCB have a ton of momentum by their side. They won their last match against the Rajasthan Royals by 112 runs. A clinical bowling display helped Bangalore bowl the Royals out for just 59 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
A similar performance in Hyderabad tonight can take Faf du Plessis and co. much closer to a Top 4 finish. Before this IPL 2023 match begins, here's a look at the three player battles that may decide the fate of this game.
#1 Glenn Maxwell vs. Abhishek Sharma
The last time fans witnessed a match between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 8, 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium. RCB recorded a big win by 67 runs in that game.
Bangalore scored 192/3 in their 20 overs. In reply, Abhishek Sharma came out to open the batting for Hyderabad along with Kane Williamson. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis handed the ball to off-spinner Glenn Maxwell.
The move proved to be a masterstroke as Maxwell rattled Sharma's stumps on the third ball and dismissed him for a duck. The pitch in Hyderabad assisted the spinners a bit in the previous match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. It will be interesting to see if Maxwell can dismiss Sharma for a duck once again.
#2 Virat Kohli vs. Marco Jansen
Virat Kohli did not look in great touch during RCB's previous match of IPL 2023 against the Rajasthan Royals. The RCB opener departed to the dressing room after scoring 18 runs off 19 balls.
Notably, Kohli failed to score a single run in the two matches against SRH last season. In the first game, Marco Jansen dismissed him caught out for a golden duck.
Jansen and Kohli will likely go head to head tonight in the powerplay overs of RCB's innings. All eyes will be on their battle in the powerplay.
#3 Faf du Plessis vs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar grabbed a five-wicket haul in Sunrisers Hyderabad's last match of IPL 2023. He dismissed Gujarat Titans' opener Wriddhiman Saha for a duck. SRH will hope that Kumar dismisses RCB opener Faf du Plessis before he can open his account tonight.
Faf has been the top run-scorer for Bangalore in the ongoing season. He will aim to play another match-winning knock for his franchise. It will be exciting to see how the RoyalChallengers Bangalore captain tackles the swing of SRH's Bhuvneshwar Kumar in IPL 2023.