As they defeated Rajasthan Royals to advance toward a playoff berth in IPL 2023, all smiles could be found in RCB dressing room following Virat Kohli's thrilling knock and Faf du Plessis' exuberant celebrations in their changing room.
1. RCB vs SRH
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have secured themselves another step closer to IPL 2023 playoff contention following an 18-run win against Lucknow Super Giants. Faf du Plessis and his side will look to continue their strong performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their next encounter.
RCB captain Virat Kohli knows full well the exciting contest between SRH's fast bowling attack and their world-class batsmen will always provide plenty of entertainment, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar often doing well against him in previous encounters; his ability to keep up an explosive run-rate could present him with an uphill task on this occasion.
Rashid Khan will need to be wary, as Rashid Khan has proven effective against him in their 22 matches; with Sunrisers Hyderabad winning on 12 occasions and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 9. The most memorable encounter was the 2016 IPL final where David Warner scored a spectacular century and helped give Sunrisers Hyderabad a narrow win against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
2. RCB vs CSK
RCB and CSK clash is always one of the most-anticipated matches during each IPL season, pitting two of Indian cricket's fiercest rivals against each other in an intense contest that promises high scoring action at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It promises an intense contest that's sure to thrill fans around the globe.
Chennai Super Kings won their inaugural match of the season against Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight runs at the same ground. Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad set off in style to post 226/6 after being sent into bat, giving their side an excellent start.
Dinesh Karthik's late surge propelled RCB closer to their target. Karthik scored 28 off 14 balls but was eventually caught by Tushar Deshpande off Akash Singh - after Akash had removed Mahipal Lomror without scoring in the same over. That blow to their chances was enough for Tushar Deshpande to catch it for Tushar Deshpande to take out. RCB could never defend their massive total though!
3. SRH vs RR
After nearly one month due to COVID-19 pandemic, IPL is finally back. In its inaugural match of 2018, last year's runners-up Rajasthan Royals trounced Sunrisers Hyderabad by 72 runs with Jos Buttler scoring 54 off 22 balls while Yashasvi Jaiswal notched up half century scores as well.
At the other end, SRH found themselves struggling to make any impactful contributions as they were dismissed for just 203/5 in 20 overs. Mayank Agarwal showed some promise before falling prey to Yuzvendra Chahal; late runs from Abdul Samad enabled SRH to achieve a win.
SRH's bowling performance was also remarkable with T Natarajan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Heinrich Klaasen, Akeal Hosein and Mayank Markande all impressing on the field. On April 2, they will play their fourth match against RR and look to carry this momentum forward into that match-up; toss will take place at 3:30 pm IST.
4. CSK vs SRH
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad will do battle in IPL 2023's Match 29 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. MS Dhoni will lead CSK, while Aiden Markram will captain SRH.
The match promises to be an intense and high-scoring encounter between two powerful batting units and powerful spinners on both teams. Spinners will play an integral part of this contest.
Ruturaj Gaikwad of SRH has struggled to get going this season but will look to build an innings against CSK against Marco Jansen's tall left-arm pace - his unnerving bounce rattled through MI's lineup in similar fashion.
Ajinkya Rahane has been an invaluable player for CSK this season and will look to continue his good form when facing off with Bhuvaneshwar Kumar of Sunrisers Hyderabad in this match-up. These two have had some intriguing battles before so it will be fascinating to witness their tactics when facing each other on Tuesday.