RR and PBKS will battle it out on Friday night [Source: AP]
The 66th group-stage fixture of the ongoing Indian Premier League season will witness the much-awaited battle between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals. With their playoff chances hanging by a thread, this is a must-win game for both the teams.
Meanwhile, there are some on-field battles that can decide the outcome of this match. As both teams gear up to take on each other, let's find out five such player battles to watch out for.
Shikhar Dhawan vs Ravichandran Ashwin
Shikhar Dhawan is struggling with form [Source: AP]
The journey of Shikhar Dhawan in the IPL 2023 has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. After putting up several impactful performances, the stylish Indian opener recorded a string of low scores, letting his team down in the latter half of the tournament.
Statistically, Dhawan has poor numbers against Ravichandran Ashwin, who has dismissed him four times in T20s.
Shikhar Dhawan vs Ravichandran Ashwin: 109 balls, 92 runs, 4 dismissals
Jos Buttler vs Kagiso Rabada
Jos Buttler has blown hot and cold in IPL 2023 [Source: AP]
Just like Shikhar Dhawan, Jos Buttler's IPL 2023 journey has also been marred by inconsistency. After some prolific outings with the bat, the swashbuckling English batter has suffered a slump in form, managing only 148 runs, including three ducks, in his last seven appearances.
However, Buttler could emerge as a threat to ace PBKS seamer Kagiso Rabada, whom he has smashed for 96 runs in the shortest format.
Jos Buttler vs Kagiso Rabada: 56 balls, 96 runs, 1 dismissal
Liam Livingstone vs Yuzvendra Chahal
Liam Livingstone recently played a brilliant knock [Source: AP]
Liam Livingstone is in sublime form in the IPL of late. The dashing English batter recently hammered a belligerent 48-ball 94 against Delhi Capitals and could play a key role with the bat for his franchise in this match.
However, his battle with Yuzvendra Chahal could be interesting, as the experienced Indian tweaker has kept him quiet in T20 cricket.
Liam Livingstone vs Yuzvendra Chahal: 9 balls, 4 runs, 1 dismissal
Sanju Samson vs Rahul Chahar
Sanju Samson in action [Source: AP]
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has had a decent run in the IPL 2023, amassing 360 runs at an average of 32.73 and a blistering strike rate of 154.51.
The swashbuckling batter from Kerala holds a healthy head-to-head record against Punjab's lead spinner Rahul Chahar and thus could emerge as a headache for the Kings in the middle overs.
Sanju Samson vs Rahul Chahar: 34 balls, 55 runs, 1 dismissal
Prabhsimran Singh vs Trent Boult
Prabhsimran Singh has been impressive [Source: AP]
Although these two players haven't played against each other many times, the vulnerability of Prabhsimran Singh against the moving ball makes him a potential victim of Trent Boult, who controls the new ball exceptionally. If the youngster survives Boult's new ball burst, he could score some handy runs for Punjab Kings.
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