IPL 2018 RCB vs CSK: 5 player battles to look forward to 

At the beginning of the tournament, there were plenty of predictions on how Chennai Super Kings’ "army of veterans" was going to struggle. However, the team has performed brilliantly and now find themselves at 2nd place, having won 4 out of 5 games they have played.

On the other hand, the much vaunted Royal Challengers Bangalore started off slowly and had won only once in their first 4 games, before they prevailed over the hapless Delhi Daredevils in their previous game. That being said, they would certainly want to put one over their biggest rivals in tonight’s home game at Bengaluru. Both teams are filled with stars and the game will ultimately get decided by how they fare in some of their personal duels. Here is a look at 5 of those that most fans will look forward to.

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#5 Quinton de Kock v Deepak Chahar

The South African wicketkeeper-batsman seemed to be the ideal replacement for Chris Gayle but Quinton de Kock has not been able to give RCB the sort of starts that they were expecting from him. He is averaging 22.40 and striking at 131.76 and his highest score has only been 45 so far. However, against the CSK he would come up against a bowling attack against home big scores have been made and it is perhaps the ideal opportunity for De Kock to get back into prime hitting form.

The bowler who will be tasked with the job of keeping him quiet or better still take his wicket is CSK’s Deepak Chahar. The right-arm medium pace bowler has been one of the best performers for the CSK bowling attack and while he has picked up 6 wickets, it is his performance in the Powerplays that makes him so important. He has an economy rate of 7.50 in the Powerplays and would like to keep De Kock quiet during that period. This is one duel that could set the tone for the RCB batting effort.

#4 Umesh Yadav v Faf du Plessis

RCB now have a new bowling attack and the leader of the fast bowling attack is Indian paceman Umesh Yadav, who has proven to be an excellent addition so far. Despite losing his length at some points, he has been excellent for them so far and is the joint highest wicket-taker for RCB with a haul of 8 wickets in 5 games. He has also recorded an economy rate of 8.60, which is not bad at all and in tonight’s game, his duel against CSK’s opening batsman Faf du Plessis promises to be a fascinating one.

The South African skipper was recovering from an injury and in his 1st game on Sunday against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he could only make 11. However, he is a quality player and had been one of CSK’s stars in the past, which is why it is a matter of time before he comes good. Tonight, his battle against RCB pace spearhead Umesh Yadav is going to be an absorbing one and the result could tilt the game either way.

#3 Virat Kohli v Harbhajan Singh

The RCB captain is the 4th highest run scorer in the IPL going into tonight’s game. Virat Kohli has made 231 runs in 5 games at an average of 57.75 and is striking at 138.32. Although he has opened the innings this year, he is most likely to come in to bat number 3 and one of the battles that will define the RCB innings is the one he is going to have tonight with his compatriot Harbhajan Singh.

The off-spinner did not play in the last two games but he is expected to make a return to the side in tonight’s game, according to reports, and he is almost certainly going to be introduced into the attack as soon as Kohli comes in to bat. He has only picked up 2 wickets so far and has recorded a decent economy rate of 8.25, however, it is his experience that will be necessary to combat someone like Kohli. The Indian captain has scored most runs against CSK (706) and it is imperative for the visitors to keep him quiet if they are to entertain any thoughts of victory tonight. Harbhajan could just be the man for the job.

#2 Yuzvendra Chahal v Suresh Raina

The CSK number 3 is a legendary performer in the IPL and currently holds the record for being the highest run scorer in the history of the tournament. However, Suresh Raina started the tournament slowly but in his last two games, he came back into form by scoring 46 and an unbeaten 54 in the last two games. He is definitely back in form and he is a player who can do serious damage to the opposition bowlers when he is in good hitting form.

That being said, RCB’s Yauzvendra Chahal is a bowler who has trouble the left-hander on many occasions and the leg-spinner should be introduced into the attack as soon as he comes in to bat. They have come up against each other in 8 games in the IPL and in 4 of those, Chahal got the better of Raina. In addition to that, the CSK star has scored only 79 runs out of the 57 deliveries that he faced from the leg-spinner. This is going to be a superb contest and one which Raina would definitely want to overturn in his favor for once.

#1 AB de Villiers v Shane Watson

AB de Villiers is coming into tonight’s game after playing an absolutely brutal knock (90* off 39, 10 fours, 5 sixes) against the Delhi Daredevils and he would definitely like carry on from where he left off when he comes up against CSK. He is in supreme batting form and is averaging 53 to go along with a strike rate of 173.77. If he gets in the groove tonight then there is every chance that the game would swing RCB’s way decisively.

Although one might say that there is very little in that CSK attack that could keep him quiet, numbers show that all-rounder Shane Watson has found a lot of success against the South African. While facing Watson, De Villiers has only been able to record a strike rate of around 112 and he has also dismissed him twice in T20 cricket. It is a contest that could have a match-defining effect on the game. In addition to that, if Watson is able to outscore his De Villiers when he bats, then that would also go a long way in CSK getting a foothold on the game.