IPL 2023, RR vs LSG: Decoding the key player battles
The high-flying Rajasthan Royals will host Lucknow Super Giants for the 26th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. RR will finally return home as the match will be played at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium on April 19. Both teams have started the season well, and it promises to be a very mouth-watering clash. Here are the player duels.
Jos Buttler vs Avesh Khan
Jos Buttler has been in sublime form this season, but he is coming off a duck in the last match. His clash with Avesh Khan early on will be exciting to watch. The duo has met each other in four IPL innings, and Buttler has slammed 35 runs in 14 balls (SR: 250). Despite going for runs, Avesh has dismissed him twice.
Sanju Samson vs Amit Mishra
Sanju Samson is coming off a match-winning knock against GT and wouldn't mind replicating that. He tonked three sixes against Rashid Khan. So his duel against Amit Mishra will be the one to watch. Samson has scored eight runs from 19 balls across four IPL meetings against Mishra at a paltry strike of 42.10. Mishra dismissed him once and hasn't conceded a single boundary.
KL Rahul vs Trent Boult
KL Rahul has blown hot and cold in IPL 2023, and he would look to bring that consistency to his game. However, in his way would be Trent Boult in the Powerplay. Both players have met each other eight times in the IPL, and Rahul has scored 80 runs at a strike rate of 163.26. But Boult got the better of him twice.
Nicholas Pooran vs Yuzvendra Chahal
Nicholas Pooran has been on a roll in IPL 2023. But he will be up against RR's trickster Yuzvendra Chahal, who has scalped 11 wickets in five matches. Pooran and Chahal have crossed swords thrice in the IPL, and the former has scored 14 runs off 12 balls (SR: 116.66). The leggie has dismissed him once and conceded only one six.
Pitch report, timing, and streaming details
The upcoming contest will be the first affair at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium this season. The track here is on the neutral side with the average first-innings run rate being 7.92. Dew can come into play. RR have fared well here, winning 32 of the 47 games. Star Sports will telecast the match, fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema for free (7:30pm).
