IPL 2018, DD V CSK: 5 player battles to look forward to

The Delhi Daredevils are out of the tournament and tonight they would be playing for pride in front of their home crowd against one of the top teams this season in Chennai Super Kings. The game is merely of academic interest but then again it might just prove to be the sort of occasion that helps DD in playing uninhibited cricket and put on across one of the favorites for winning this season’s IPL.

Needless to say, a strong finish to the campaign will also give this young DD team something to look forward to next season and give them the confidence of knowing that they can do it against the best. On the other hand, CSK would not want to drop any games as they try to confirm their spot within the top two.

The final result of the game is going to depend on some of the individual battles that will take place tonight and here is a look at 5 of the most important ones.

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#5 Prithvi Shaw v Lungi Ngidi

The emergence of the talented Prithvi Shaw in this season’s of the IPL has been nothing short of brilliant and over the course of 7 games, he has managed to get DD off to brisk starts in almost every game. He is averaging 30.85 and has recorded a brilliant strike rate of 160. He is at home against both pace and spin and has enthusiastically attacked both in the Powerplays. However, tonight he will up against another prodigious talent in the form of CSK’s Lungi Ngidi.

The young South African can bowl at good pace and he can combine that with movement, accuracy, and intelligence. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the DD batsman handles him in the Powerplay overs and whether Ngidi can remove in early on to derail the home side’s batting early on. The battle between two young stars is something that is always a big deal and it is no different when it comes to tonight’s game.

#4 Sandeep Lamichhane v Suresh Raina

Sandeep Lamichhane

In their last game, DD decided to introduce their 17-year-old leg-spinner from Nepal to the IPL and Sandeep Lamicchane gave an excellent account of himself as a bowler against one of the best batting line-ups in the tournament. He picked up the wicket of Parthiv Patel and then gave away only 25 runs in his quota of 4 overs.

Tonight, he will come up against another superb batting line-up and in CSK’s number 3, he is going to encounter one of the best players of spin bowling. Suresh Raina is not only an excellent player of spin but he has the ability to hit them out of the attack and therein lies the tantalizing prospect of this battle. He is a batsman who won’t allow the spinner to settle and on the other hand, lies a leg-spinner who has all the varieties to trouble the best players. This is a battle that is going to be a very interesting one.

#3 Amit Mishra v MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni

The CSK captain’s brutal power-hitting at number 4 has been one of the key reasons behind the team’s superb show this season and considering what MS Dhoni did last time he played against DD, the home team would need to find a way to keep him quiet. Last time he made a rapid 22-ball 51 (2 fours, 5 sixes) and is averaging 101.32 overall, to go along with an awe-inspiring strike rate of 162.59.

The opportunity here lies for DD’s leg-spinner Amit Mishra to put the lid on Dhoni’s run scoring and considering the Indian spinner’s record in the middle overs, this is going to be a contest that could well shape the CSK innings. Dhoni’s strike rate is only 128 when it comes to leg-spinners and therein lies the opportunity for Mishra. His economy rate of 6.9 in the middle overs is also a clear indicator of the fact that he is the man that Dhoni has to overcome tonight.

#2 Rishabh Pant v Harbhajan Singh

Rishabh Pant

The DD wicketkeeper-batsman has been one of the best performers in the tournament so far and it is no surprise that Rishabh Pant has emerged as the team’s top scorer with an aggregate of 582 runs. However, in addition to the volume of runs, it is the fact that he has scored those at a strike rate of 179.62 that makes him such a dangerous player. He has the ability to run away with the game and once he gets going, there is very little that the opposition can actually do.

That being said, CSK have Harbhajan Singh within their ranks and although he has taken only 7 wickets in 10 games, it is his excellent economy rate of just over 8 that makes him such a vital bowler. He has the experience, intelligence and the control that is necessary to go toe to toe against someone like Pant. In addition to that, a battle between one of the hottest young talents in India and one of Indian cricket’s greatest bowlers is also going to give this battle an extra edge.

#1 Trent Boult v Shane Watson

Shane Watson

The last time these two team’s clashed, CSK’s opening batsman Shane Watson hit a brutal 78 (40 balls, 4 fours, 7 sixes) and propelled his team to a total of 211. He will again be the wicket that DD will be after from the outset and considering the consistency with which he has given CSK fast starts, the Australian is going to be absolutely vital for the visitors’ chances of winning the game.

In the opening exchanges, it is going to be Trent Boult’s opening spell that is going to be Watson’s biggest test. The Kiwi star’s pace, accuracy, movement, and intelligence will be a challenge for the CSK opener and it is a battle that is going to have a big impact on the ultimate result of the game. If he can survive that spell, then he might punish DD yet again.