Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh said that there is a good probability of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) playing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator of the IPL 2023 and fears there could be a clash between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli.
In their last two games, both teams experienced a lot of high-stakes action and intense exchanges both on and off the field.
LSG defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their final league match of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) on Saturday by one run and booked their spot in the playoffs. With LSG assured of their 3rd spot in the points table, the 4th place is still up for grabs between Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals, the excitement among fans and former cricketers is at its peak.
On May 1, when RCB and LSG faced off against one another for the second time this season, Kohli and Gambhir got into a memorable brawl. If RCB manages to advance to the playoffs, they will play LSG in the Eliminator, which might imply another Kohli v Gambhir or perhaps Kohli v Naveen-ul-Haq matchup.
"If Kohli and Gambhir again face each other, I hope they do not clash again. I am only concerned about it,” Harbhajan Singh said on Star Sports.
Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir were fined 100% of their match fees and Naveen ul Haq with 50% of his match fee for their actions in the field. The battle continued on social media with Virat Kohli and Naveen Ul Haq posting cryptic Instagram stories taking unnamed jibes.
Harbhajan Singh believes that Royal Challengers Bangalore have a great chance to make it into the Eliminator as they playing good cricket at the moment and their net run rate is much better than Mumbai Indians.
“RCB are playing good cricket and if they win, they will qualify directly. Both Mumbai Indians and RCB will win tomorrow, but RCB has much better net run rate. If RCB goes ahead then it will be a contest between the men from Delhi,” Harbhajan added.
He also praised LSG skipper Krunal Pandya who took over from KL Rahul after the latter's season-ending injury.
"Credit to Krunal Pandya for rotating his bowlers well. It was the highest quality of spin bowling from LSG against KKR. Hats off to the spinners for bowling with courage in the middle overs and under tough situations. Good signs for them ahead of the playoffs as Chepauk traditionally favors spinners," Harbhajan asserted.
While Mumbai Indians will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the day match on Sunday, RCB would take on defending champions Gujarat Titans in their final league match in the evening.
(Star Sports inputs)
