IPL 2022, LSG vs RCB: Battle of equals as Lucknow Super Giants take on Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB and LSG would be among the top four after nearly a month of the competition. Both sides have followed a similar path so far. They started terribly, suffering a loss, but then bounced back brilliantly with three wins on the trot. A loss followed, but the two teams gained ground immediately with victories. So when the two sides face each other at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday, it is going to be a battle of equals. For RCB, Dinesh Karthik, donning the finisher's role, has won three games with his bat. The latest one against Mumbai Indians saw Karthik notch up a swashbuckling, unbeaten 66 off 34 balls as

RCB went from 92/5 to 189/5 by the end of their 20 overs. The total proved to be 16 runs too many for Mumbai. After his daredevilry with the bat against MI, Virat Kohli went on to say that Karthik has been "the man of the IPL so far" and "deserves a comeback to the Indian T20 team". It has been a struggle for Kohli though. Runs and luck have deserted the maestro. While his bat hasn't fired like usual, Kohli has been run out in the most unfortunate circumstances twice. He needs a big knock to silence detractors.

RCB skipper Faf du Plessis started the tournament with a bang, hitting a blazing 88 against Punjab, but hasn't done anything else of note. The Bangalore team's bowling has been its strength. Josh Hazlewood and Mohammad Siraj have given breakthroughs at the top as well as in the 14th to 17th overs of an innings. Wanindu Hasaranga's wrong one has been difficult to decipher. And Harshal Patel is one of the best death-overs bowlers.

For Lucknow, the two openers - skipper KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock - have been in good form. Rahul's unbeaten 103 against MI was one of the best ever from the