IPL 2018, MI vs KXIP:5 player battles to look forward to 

The situation for the defending champions is pretty clear. If they lose tonight’s game against Kings XI Punjab at Mumbai, then Mumbai Indians are out of this year’s IPL. On the other hand, KXIP now find themselves in 5th place after having lost three games on the trot and another loss tonight will see them on the verge of elimination.

Needless to say, it is a crunch game and one that both sides would give their all to win. The two teams have enough firepower to produce an unforgettable game and the ultimate result of tonight’s game will depend on some of the individual battles that will take place tonight.

Here is a look at the 5 most important battles that are going to have a huge impact on the game tonight at Mumbai:

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#5 Suryakumar Yadav v Mohit Sharma

MI’s opening batsman Suryakumar Yadav has been one of the IPL’s standout performers and with a total of 473 runs so far. He is the all-time second highest run-scorer in an IPL season among uncapped players. His elevation to the opening slot has been a masterstroke from MI and considering the fact that Mumbai is his home ground, one can expect him to be one of the key performers for the home side tonight.

He will come up tonight against a bowler, who can be excellent on his day but has not had the best IPL so far this year. Mohit Sharma has played only 7 games so far and he is expected to play tonight, however, it is his economy rate of over 11 that is the big worry. He would have to deliver tonight and ensure that Yadav is kept quiet during the Powerplays if KXIP are to stall the MI batting effort. It is going to be an interesting battle between the talented youngster and the seasoned professional.

#4 Ishan Kishan v Ravichandran Ashwin

Ishan Kishan

Considering the fact that KXIP’s best bowler Mujeeb Ur Rahman is still a doubt, it is their captain Ravichandran Ashwin who would need to raise his game tonight and it is his battle with the MI wicketkeeper-batsman that promises to be a very interesting one. Ishan Kishan’s batting in the MI middle-order has been quite brilliant and his power-hitting in that period has often taken the team’s batting effort to a brilliant level.

For instance, his dismantling of the KKR spin attack two games ago pretty much settled the game in the 1st innings and tonight he would definitely like to do the same against Ashwin. The Indian spinner has been the steadying influence for the KXIP attack in the middle overs and his economy rate of 8.15 is proof of his effectiveness in that period. Can he do it tonight against Kishan, who is striking at 157.23? Time will tell but is going to be a pivotal battle.

#3 Mayank Mankarde v KL Rahul

KL Rahul

The KXIP depend a lot on its opening batsmen and in particular on KL Rahul, who has emerged as their top scorer with a total of 558 runs. More importantly, he is averaging 55.80 and has recorded a brilliant strike rate of 161.73. Needless to say, if he gets going, then he might do short work of the MI bowling attack tonight. That being said, it needs to be pointed out that while he has been imperious against pace bowling, he has not been as good against spin. He has been dismissed 10 times in this season of the IPL and out of those, he has fallen to spin 7 times.

So, MI’s leg-spinner Mayank Markande might just be the man for the job ff MI are to take his wicket early on. The spinner is MI’s highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets and if he is introduced early on, then there is every chance of him troubling Rahul. He has also gone for just over 8 runs an over so far and that shows, he can hold his own against big-hitting batsmen. It is going to be a vital contest and one that could swing the game either way.

#2 Evin Lewis v Ankit Rajpoot

Evin Lewis

The West Indian opener is one of the most dangerous batsmen in T20 cricket and Evin Lewis has displayed his abilities as a power-hitter plenty of times in this year’s IPL. He is striking at 136.55 and averaging 29.54. However, it is interesting to note that when it comes to pace, his average drops to 21 and the strike rate of 127. Therein lies the opportunity for KXIP and in particular, for their pace bowler Ankit Rajpoot.

The tall fast bowler has been excellent for KXIP so far and his taken 8 wickets in 6 games, with an economy rate of 8.69. In the Powerplays, he has performed even better. 5 of those 8 wickets have come in the Powerplays and his economy rate is 7.3 during that phase of the game. It is clear as day that he is going to be the one who will go head to head with Lewis tonight and it is going to be an extremely hard-fought duel.

#1 Jasprit Bumrah v Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle

The KXIP opening batsman started off his tournament like an express train but Chris Gayle seems to have gone off the boil a bit in the last 4 games (scores of 8,1,21,18) and he would dearly like to make a telling contribution in tonight’s game. In a small, batting-friendly ground like the Wankhede, the menace posed by the Jamaican looms large and the MI bowlers would need to be at their very best.

Their best option tonight against Gayle is going to be their Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has an excellent record against the Jamaican. He has only given away 26 runs off the 27 deliveries that he has bowled to him and that could be very useful when it comes to the task of keeping him from launching the KXIP innings with a flourish. If Bumrah can take his wicket early on, then the visitors batting line-up might implode yet again.