5 clashes to look forward to in the first week of IPL

The 8th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has finally gotten underway. Kolkata Knight Riders took on Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the season at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The home side won the match by 7 wickets thanks to Suryakumar Yadav, Morne Morkel and Gautam Gambhir.This IPL will feature some much-anticipated rivalries that have developed over the years and some new rivalries will also begin to emerge as the season goes on. And this is what makes the IPL unique and exciting. Two players might be of the same nationality and the best of mates while playing international cricket, but they give their best and don’t hold back when it comes to playing against each other in the IPL.So let’s take a look at some of the interesting face-offs which will be on display in the first week of the IPL:

#1 Chris Gayle (RCB) vs Sunil Narine (KKR)

Chris Gayle became the latest man to add his name to the 200-club in ODI cricket with a brilliant 215-run knock. The dangerous Jamaican is more than capable of demolishing opponents single-handedly on his day in all formats and Twenty20 is one format which he particularly excels in. Having allayed fears of injury earlier, Gayle will be set to unleash the power and smash the bowlers out of the park.

Sunil Narine is known for outfoxing batsmen by disguising his deliveries extremely well. He is known to keep an excellent economy rate even in Twenty20, where batsmen look to hit the ball out of the park on every occasion. He has had to readjust his bowling action after he missed the World Cup due to a suspect action and had to face a late test to be eligible to bowl in the IPL. However, despite all the negative publicity surrounding the spinner, he is the x-factor that Gautam Gambhir’s side possess.

In this battle of the international teammates, it will be interesting to see who gets the better of who. They both know the qualities of the other quite well and this will, possibly, be the most interesting contest in the first week of the tournament.

#2 Yuvraj Singh (DD) vs Ravichandran Ashwin (CSK)

Arguably, Team India’s best limited-overs all-rounder in recent years, Yuvraj Singh has, time and again, risen to the occasion on the biggest of stages. Six sixes off a Stuart Broad over against England and a blistering 70 off just 30 balls against Australia will be fondly remembered as some of the finest highlights of his career.

The all-rounder broke his own last year record at the 2015 player auction when he was snapped up by Delhi Daredevils for Rs. 16 crores. His fielding proficiency, particularly when being deployed at point and his ability to roll his arm over effectively, made his value shoot exponentially.

Quiet, unassuming, but deadly with the ball, Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the major reasons why Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have got their hands on the IPL trophy twice. His performances for CSK, especially during powerplays, pitchforked him into prominence. Forced to think on his feet, Ashwin first developed and then mastered the ‘carrom’ ball, a variation that continues to bring him rewards across all formats of the game.

Yuvraj, who always struggled against quality spin bowling will have a major uphill task to perform against India’s best spinner at the moment.

#3 AB De Villiers (RCB) vs Sunil Narine (KKR)

A delightfully brutal batsman, a more than decent wicket-keeper and an agile fielder that can put an acrobat to shame – there are very few things, if any, that De Villiers cannot do on a cricket field. He has joined hands with Chris Gayle in tearing bowling attacks apart with utter disdain.

During the 2012 season, when playing the role of a finisher, he snatched wins from the jaws of defeat. He unearthed some outrageous shots to incredible effect and in one over, smashed Dale Steyn for 23 – two fours and sixes each – to win RCB a thriller. He has turned into one of the most dangerous yet sporting cricketers the sport has ever seen and continues to be one of the best modern-day greats of the game.

Narine’s consistent outstanding performances in limited overs cricket attracted the Kolkata franchise and he was bought for an impressive USD 700,000 in the 2012 IPL auction. His strength lies in his clever variations without any visible change in action. Though, classified as an off-spinner, he can turn the ball the other way without a change in action.

Cricket fans would be eager to see who outfoxes who in this battle of two greats in their respective departments.

#4 Glenn Maxwell (KXIP) vs James Faulkner (RR)

Glenn Maxwell is a versatile batsman who can bat anywhere between the first and seventh position in the line-up and adds value with his off-spin. A big hitter of the ball, he was recruited by KXIP in the 2014 IPL auction. He is also great at judging slower balls and most commonly uses his ‘swivel slog sweep’ to send the ball deep into the stands.

He impressed Delhi Daredevils with his batting, who signed him for the fifth IPL edition in 2012. In 2013, the Aussie was a surprise pick in the Indian T20 League player auction by Mumbai, who bought him at a whopping $1 million, making him the league's newest million dollar baby.

James Faulkner, the Tasmanian all-rounder has the ability to change the game with both, the bat and the ball. Having earned the reputation of winning games from improbable situations for Australia, the left-arm pacer has consistently picked up key wickets. He has a very good slower ball and his variations make him a good bowler in the end overs of the innings. Faulkner strutt his stuff in the World Cup final, stopping New Zealand’s recovery with some excellent death bowling, thereby earning the man-of-the-final award.

Will Maxwell, who hit most number of sixes and had the highest strike rate in the World Cup, be able to stand against his Australian team-mate?

#5 Brendon McCullum (CSK) vs Dale Steyn (SRH)

Brash, brutal and brilliant to watch, Brendon McCullum can bruise bowling attacks like few other men in international cricket. A wicketkeeper-batsman, he was responsible for getting the IPL off to an electrifying start with his 158. Baz was signed up by Chennai in the 7^th season, after representing Kolkata Knight Riders previously. He also became the second centurion in an international Twenty20 match in 2010, falling one short of Chris Gayle’s 117.

Steyn is quick, accurate and can swing the ball both ways. In other words, he is a batsman’s worst nightmare. A fierce competitor on the cricket field – he once said that he loves cricket because it is the only profession in which he can legally knock off a batsman’s head with a leather ball.

These two last clashed at the nerve-wrecking semi-final of the world cup where McCullum not only dodged Steyn’s bullets, but took him on and sent the ball out of the park on quite a few occasions.