Crowds are cheering for their favorite team at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday night as the world’s biggest cricket venue prepares to host the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 Qualifier 2. Rajasthan Royals (RCB) will face-to-face. A highly confident Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and face-to-face winners will advance to Sunday’s big final.
RCB are entering the match on the back of a resounding victory that took Lucknow out of the league on Wednesday. Rajat Patidar’s brilliant innings and Harshal Patel’s brilliant death bowling were testament to the team’s enthusiasm to win their maiden title.
Royals, on the other hand, are slightly injured as they lost Qualifier 1 to make their debut to Gujarat Titans. The inaugural champions have a great chance to pay a memorable tribute to their former captain the late Shane Warne and will surely go with all guns blazing in the game.
Before the face-offs, let’s take a look at some of the key battles expected in the game:
Virat Kohli vs Yuzvendra Chahal: It will be quite a scene when the two former RCB teammates will be up against each other again. Chahal is having a great season this year. He is the highest wicket-taker in IPL 2022, taking 26 wickets in 15 matches, and he will look to do something big in this crucial encounter. On the other hand, Kohli is not in good form and the bowler should be aware of it. But if Kohli finds his mojo back, it will be a different scenario altogether.
Jos Butler vs Josh Hazlewood: The last time they met, it was the right-hander who excelled. Hazlewood dismissed Butler for just 8 runs and then the entire RR batting collapsed. But it may be a different matter on Friday as the stakes are high. Buttler will have to fire but unlike his innings against Gujarat Titans, he should start smashing a bit early. As far as the Australian is concerned, he is in a great spot at the moment and the ball will definitely go for a 1 to kill.
Ashwin vs Faf du Plessis: Well, it could be a fight between two batsmen; Who will score more runs? Ravichandran Ashwin has turned out to be such a dark horse who can take wickets by scoring runs simultaneously. But the danger for du Plessis is Ashwin’s spin. The Indian off-spinner seems a bit strong though!
Dinesh Karthik Vs Famous Krishna: Another fight between the two former teammates, DK facing Krishna will be a great match. The two have seen each other closely in the KKR camp and will try to use those inputs in tonight’s match. Kartik is in red-hot form and so is famous. Who will succeed, especially in the death overs, is something the fans would love to know.
Boult vs Maxwell: One is as fast as a lightning bolt and the other is known to intimidate world class bowlers with his unorthodox shots. When these two are on top of each other, there will be a blast on the cricket field. Maxwell has been a lot on and off with bat in hand but Bolt is crucial for RR. The Australian will have to be a little careful when facing his trans-Tasmanian rival on the Indian track.
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