Gujarat Titans are all set to take on a rather off-colour Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 30, Saturday, at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.
It will be the first time both these teams will take on each other. So, when GT and RCB take the field on Saturday, the dug-outs will have certain plans and matchups in place.
These are the player battles to watch out for when GT take on RCB.
Hardik Pandya vs Shahbaz Ahmed
The world knows Hardik's liking for Left-arm spin bowling. He hits them for fun, and he hits them one after the other. Since Hardik Pandya bats at number three now, and RCB often uses Ahmed inside the powerplay, this will be one matchup that will be exciting to see.
Faf will be willing to take the risk because if they get Pandya out early, it leaves GT's batting lineup miserable.
Rashid Khan vs Virat Kohli
Two of the best in business going head to head is always going to a mouth watering contest. Rashid has bowled 24 balls to Kohli in the IPL. 11 out of these were dot balls. He has conceded 21 runs off them, including two boundaries, and dismissed him once.
Although Kohli has been going through a lean patch for some time, it will be interesting to see how he tackles Rashid Khan, who himself hasn't been at his best with the ball in hand.
Both will be out willing to prove a point. Nothing gets better than that.
Dinesh Karthik vs Yash Dayal
Dinesh Karthik has been on a roll this season. Although the last two matches haven't really been great for him, the RCB dug-out would hope for him to deliver the goods again.
Yash Dayal almost got Andre Russell out during the game vs KKR. Although he has proven to be an expensive choice, he has shown that he can produce great deliveries at times.
He is fast turning out to be a utility bowler. It will be interesting to see how Yash Dayal performs when he comes face to face with RCB's main man this season.
