IPL 2018: One player from each team who holds the key for them

The eleventh edition of IPL will soon be entering its second phase. The past few weeks have witnessed the eight teams fight it out in cut-throat battles. While some units seem to be in winning groove, a few others have had a lacklustre tournament thus far and hope to revive their fates in the upcoming games.

With the game being played in the shortest format, the match-scenarios tend to change rapidly within a span of a few overs. Thus, individual performances play a crucial role in the outcome of the game.

While, historically, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers have proved that they can single-handedly win games with their wielding prowess, bowlers such as Lasith Malinga and Rashid Khan have testified the fact that a brilliant spell of four overs can come in as more than handy for the team's cause.

Here we look at such key players from each team, whose performances remain crucial for their franchise's journey, going ahead into IPL 2018.

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Delhi Daredevils - Shreyas Iyer

Over the years, Shreyas Iyer has proved to be one of the few shining lights for Delhi Daredevils. After a stellar debut season for the franchise in 2015, Iyer soon transformed into a core member of Delhi's batting unit. In fact, he was one among the three players retained by the franchise this year.

This season too, Iyer entered the fray with the responsibility of guiding the middle order of DD, and provide able support to the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Colin Munro, and Glenn Maxwell. However, with the big guns failing to fire and the team's chips down, the man from Mumbai will once again have to come to his franchise's rescue by scoring big runs.

Iyer has been performing decently well this year and has scored 151 runs in the 6 games played thus far. Also, given the fact that he will be captaining Delhi Daredevils in the remainder of the tournament, fans would be expecting him to lead from the front and take his team to the next stage of the competition.

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Mumbai Indians - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma is expected to lead Mumbai Indians from the front

Mumbai Indians have had a forgetful tournament thus far. Losing close games has not only disappointed the players but has also left the fans frustrated. While youngsters such as Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have been doing the bulk of the scoring, the likes of Kieron Pollard, Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma, and Pandya brothers, have failed to deliver consistently.

The team's recent loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, while chasing a paltry target, has raised numerous questions on its batting unit. One man who hasn't really played to his full potential yet is Rohit Sharma.

Barring a blistering 94 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, MI's skipper has managed to score 46 runs in the remaining five games played thus far. Incidentally, Mumbai's sole victory this year came when Sharma's bat was in a sublime flow.

Given his naturally-gifted ability to tonk the ball all over the park and win games single-handedly, Rohit Sharma continues to be a key member of Mumbai Indians. Consistent runs from his bat will not only uplift the team's dropping shoulders but also keep them in the race for a place in the playoffs.

Royal Challengers Bangalore - AB de Villiers

RCB will be banking heavily on AB de Villers to get them over the line

A huge crowd-favourite and an absolute swashbuckler, AB de Villiers has grown synonymous with Royal Challengers Bangalore over the past few years.

The man from South Africa has played innumerable knocks of marvel, which helped his team come out trumps on multiple occasions. From upping the ante right from the word go to guiding the team home in precarious situations, AB, as he's fondly known, has done it all.

With Quinton de Kock, Mandeep Singh and other batters still finding their feet in the tournament, the onus of scoring the majority of the runs for RCB is once again on Virat Kohli and De Villiers. While the former keeps doing his usual best, a capable support from the other end can help the team achieve wonders.

Going forward into the tournament, RCB will need ABD to score runs in crunch situations and get the team over the line, as in the case of their victories against Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils.

Rajasthan Royals - Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes will need to bring his

all-round

abilities to the fore for RR

Ben Stokes was the most expensive buy in this year's auction and not many were surprised given his skill with both bat and ball. Be it taking the bowlers to the cleaners, chipping in with handy wickets, or even pulling off some stunning catches, Ben Stokes is an asset in each department of the game.

The Englishman set last year's tournament ablaze with his all-rounding skills and played a pivotal role in making Rising Pune Supergiant reach the finals.

This year hasn't quite seen the best of Stokes as yet. In six matches played thus far, the all-rounder scored about 147 runs and managed to pick up just one wicket. However, he continues to be a major component of Rajasthan Royals and gives the squad the right balance.

The Rajasthan fans will be hoping the flamboyant cricketer comes good soon and powers their team to the next stage of the tournament.

Kolkata Knight Riders - Andre Russell

The man from West Indies brings in an oomph factor to KKR

With an ability to bowl at raw pace and maul the opposition with his bat, Andre Russell has stood out as one of Kolkata Knight Riders' vital cog in their journey over the past few years.

A dasher in the shortest of the game, Russell plays a crucial role for the Knights with his willow. The West Indian, who generally comes in to bat during the death overs, can change the whole complexion of the game by striking some lust blows.

Russell has amassed 163 runs in six games thus far and will be itching to score bigger in the coming games. While his bowling hasn't quite been on the lines expected, the Jamaican can prove to be more than handy on pitches that offer bounce.

With 3 wins and 3 losses out of their 6 games thus far, KKR will need to come up with stronger performances consistently to cement their spot in the top four, and Andre Russell might just help them achieve that with his extraordinary skill set.

Kings XI Punjab - KL Rahul

KL Rahul will look to continue his dream run in this year's IPL

Justifying his heavy price tag, KL Rahul has been one of Kings XI Punjab's champions in this year's IPL. From a blistering 14-ball 50 that set the tone this year to partnering with Chris Gayle to help his team register massive totals, Rahul has been Punjab's batting mainstay so far.

A stylish player, who can make the bowlers pay heavily on his day, Rahul has managed to score 268 runs in the seven games played thus far. With a middle and lower-middle order that is yet to fire, KXIP would be banking heavily on Rahul's form to sail them through the league stage of the tournament.

The team's recent loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad is yet another reminder of how crucial is the role played by this man at the top of the order.

Sunrisers Hyderabad - Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan is a key member of the orange army

Debuting last season, Rashid Khan has fast grown into a force to reckon with in IPL. Representing Sunrisers Hyderabad, this wily leg-spinner has earned a reputation for himself as a gamechanger with the ball and his recent performances just prove why.

Interestingly, Khan has played a crucial role in all the victories of SRH this year. The man from Afganistan possesses an incredible ability to derail the opposition's batting unit at any stage in the game, and the team's recent encounters against Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab stand as testimonies.

With nine wickets in seven games thus far, the 19-year-old will have to keep outfoxing the batsmen and continue to shoulder SRH's spin bowling responsibilities for the team to have brighter chances going ahead into the tournament.

Chennai Super Kings - Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu has been in prime form for CSK

In the majority of the games this year, Ambati Rayudu has donned the opener's role for Chennai Super Kings. A move that came as a bit of surprise initially, started proving to be a smart one once the right-handed batsman started scoring runs, plenty of them, in fact.

In CSK's six games thus far, Rayudu has scored 283 runs and is one of the tournament's leading run-scorers with three of his knocks proving to be crucial contributors in helping the Men in Yellow get over the line.

From rotating the strike regularly to scoring the big shots when the need arises, Rayudu's batting consists of multiple facets and his current run of form would be crucial for CSK's upcoming games. The team would expect Rayudu to get them off to solid starts and provide a perfect foil for the likes of Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, and MS Dhoni.

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