3 player battles to watch out for in RCB vs KKR, Match 35 of IPL 2023

The 35th match of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) will take place between the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, April 26.

KKR romped away with a mammoth win when the two sides met earlier in the season at Eden Gardens. RCB were trapped in the spin-web cast by the KKR spinners, but the direction of the two franchises in IPL 2023 has since been towards different directions.

While the two teams are close enough in the points table, they are separated by four points, which is a significant margin at the halfway stage of the campaign. Additionally, RCB are on a two-match winning run while KKR have lost their last four matches.

RCB continue to bank on their big three batters - Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell - to score the bulk of their runs, with the trio's rich vein of form helping their cause. Mohammed Siraj has been potent with the ball, and the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga and Harshal Patel are also growing into the tournament with each contest.

KKR, on the other hand, have no prominent positive aspects to their name barring Rinku Singh's form.

On that note, here are the three player battles to look out for in the upcoming contest between RCB and KKR.

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#1 Virat Kohli vs Umesh Yadav

While KKR controlled RCB batters with the help of spin last time out, they will not have the same impact at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium when compared to Eden Gardens. What is common for both venues is the six-hitting potential and the initial help that pacers get with the help of a new ball.

Umesh Yadav has been a constant feature in the KKR pace bowling unit so far as they chopped and changed the rest. The likes of Kulwant Khejroliya, Tim Southee, and Lockie Ferguson have all played at some point or the other in the first half of the tournament.

KKR will be hopeful that the right-arm pacer, who has significant bowling experience at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium following his stint with RCB, will try to break the crucial opening partnership early on. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, will look to be back among the runs after being dismissed for a duck by Trent Boult.

Kohli and Umesh have come across each other on 13 occasions in the past. The ace batter has scored 162 runs off 93 balls at a strike rate of 174.19. The right-arm pacer, in return, has claimed Kohli's prized scalp three times.

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#2 Faf du Plessis vs Varun Chakravarthy

Faf du Plessis only scored 23 runs the last time he came up against KKR, which marked a rare failure for him in the IPL 2023 season so far. The opening batter was undone by Varun Chakravarthy, and this particular matchup is bound to be match-defining yet again.

The mystery spinner is likely to be thrust during the powerplay itself to contain the run flow. The RCB skipper will have to employ an approach where he manages to get the better of the bowler this time, but not lose his wicket.

Du Plessis was dismissed by Chakravarthy for the first time ever in four innings earlier in the season at Eden Gardens. The opening batter has scored 41 runs off 30 balls at a strike rate of 136.66 against Chakravarthy so far.

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#3 Andre Russell vs Harshal Patel

Death overs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium are a crucial part of the puzzle and given that RCB are Andre Russell's favorite opponents by far, the home side will need their premier death bowler to step up.

Harshal Patel has not had a good tournament so far, but he looked at his composed best while bowling in the death overs in RCB's nervy win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Barring a couple of cameos, IPL 2023 has also not been a campaign to remember for Russell as well, but the threat posed by the Caribbean all-rounder remains.

Harshal has a decent record against Russell when compared to other bowlers. The right-arm pacer has dismissed the ace all-rounder twice since the 2021 season. Russell, meanwhile, has scored 35 runs off 26 deliveries at a strike rate of 134.61.

Who will win the upcoming match between RCB and KKR? Let us know what you think.