The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) recorded a remarkable win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator to win the ticket to the second Qualifier, scheduled to be played on Friday, May 27. Their match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, most likely in front of over 100,000 cheering spectators.
While a win by the Faf du Plessis-led side at the upcoming Qualifier 2 will advance them to the final, the match also presents an opportunity for Dinesh Karthik and Virat Kohli to surpass RCB's Hall of Famer AB de Villiers for an elite all-time IPL record.
Karthik, Kohli close in on ex-teammate AB de Villiers
Both Kohli and DK are expected to turn up in their side's anticipated and must-win Qualifier 2 clash against RR. Remarkably, the two cricketers hold an incredible record with the bat against the Jaipur-based franchise.
Former RCB skipper Kohli has compiled 593 runs against RR since the inception of IPL. Despite holding an average of just 28.23, compared to his career average of 36.36, the right-hander is still the fourth-most successful batsman against the Royals in IPL history.
On the other hand, Karthik has aggregated 608 runs against the same opponent while playing for several franchises since his debut in 2008. The wicketkeeper-batter has a much better average (33.77) and a strike-rate of 136.01 than his teammate. His run tally makes him the third-highest run-getter against RR across all IPL seasons.
While 'Mr. IPL' and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend Suresh Raina occupies the second spot, and the list against the Royals is led by none other than RCB's battle-hardened campaigner AB de Villiers. The former South African skipper sits pretty at the top with 652 runs across 22 matches at an incredible average of 46.57.
For the upcoming match-up this Friday, both Virat and Karthik will hope to clutch against the Sanju Samson-led side. A match-winning innings by both will not only entertain their side's chances for a place in the IPL 2022 final, but it can also leap them above their former teammate to become the best run-aggregators against the Royals.
RR vs RCB match details
The two sides will face each other in Ahmedabad on Friday and the match will commence from 7:30 PM IST onwards.