IPL 2018, RCB vs KKR: 5 player battles to look forward to

Both teams are coming off shattering defeats in their previous games and that makes tonight’s game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders a must-win encounter for both teams. RCB lie 2nd from bottom after winning only 2 out of their first 6 games and although they do not have a great record against KKR, they couldn’t have hoped to play them at a better time.

In their previous game, they conceded the biggest score (219) of the season so far and crashed to a 55 run defeat against the Delhi Daredevils. The game is going to be decided by some of the individual battles that will take place in Bengaluru tonight and the excellent sets of players on either side will hopefully provide a memorable spectacle.

Here is a look at 5 of the most eagerly anticipated individual battles in tonight’s game:

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#5 Virat Kohli v Shivam Mavi

Coming up against one of the best batsmen in the world right after being clobbered for 58 in 4 overs in the previous game might not be the most appealing prospect for any bowler, leave alone someone who is 19 years old. However, prior to that performance in Delhi, Shivam Mavi had been KKR’s best fast bowler, providing the team with some much-needed firepower.

His contest with RCB captain Virat Kohli is going to be one to watch out for. Kohli has made 249 runs so far in the tournament and is averaging just short of 50. He has a strike rate of 136.81 and Mavi is the only bowler in the attack who has the pace to test him. If he can get his wicket then it could easily turn the tide in KKR’s favour. The contest between the Indian captain and the upcoming Indian fast bowler is a tantalizing prospect.

#4 Quinton de Kock v Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla

KKR have one of the best spin attacks in the tournament and Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla has done particularly well. He has taken 6 wickets so far and has recorded an impressive economy rate of 7.95. Needless to say, he is a vital cog in the wheel for KKR.

Tonight, he will run into a fine opening batsman in the form of RCB’s South African star Quinton de Kock and it could well prove to be a match-defining contest.

De Kock has gotten starts but he has only made one half-century so far. Now, with the ball coming into him at the start of the innings, he might just have a great chance of getting on top of Chawla early on and breaking the Powerplay stranglehold that KKR seem to enjoy. Whoever comes out on top in this battle will almost certainly give his team a great chance of emerging victorious tonight.

#3 Chris Lynn v Washington Sundar

Chris Lynn

The Australian may be renowned as a big-hitter but Chris Lynn has not yet played the sort of innings that everyone has come to expect from him. He is averaging 26.57 and striking at 136.76, having scored just 1 half-century so far. In his previous game, he scored 5 and there is no doubt that he must be itching to have a go at a bowling attack that is coming off an almighty thumping in the previous game.

If he gets going, then RCB are going to have a long night on their hands and perhaps the best way to stop him from going all guns blazing is to introduce spin straightaway. Lynn’s difficulties against spin are well known and hence the introduction of Washington Sundar could be the way to go for RCB.

The Indian spinner has the accuracy, variety and temperament to take on someone like the Australian. Moreover, while Lynn strikes at 178.8 against fast bowling, his strike rate drops to 127.3 against spin in the IPL. So, will the big-hitting Australian be able to fight his demons against spin and emerge victorious tonight? Or will the young Indian prevail?

#2 Andre Russell v Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal

The KKR all-rounder has a strike rate of 204.95, which is the highest in this year’s IPL (minimum 75 balls faced) and it is Andre Russell’s ability to take the game away in a matter of a few deliveries that makes him such a dangerous batsman. Considering the sort of performances that have been delivered by the RCB bowling attack so far, the West Indian all-rounder’s power-hitting is going to pose one of the biggest threats to the home team.

That being said, RCB’s leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal might just be the bowler to get his wicket. Russell has faced 52 deliveries of leg-spin in the IPL since as far back as 2015 and has managed a strike rate of only 126.92. The leg-spinners have also gotten him out thrice. So, it follows that Russell is not that explosive against leg-spin and in Chahal, RCB have just the right bowler to exploit that weakness. It promises to be an absorbing contest.

#1 AB de Villiers v Sunil Narine

AB de Villiers

He is quite possibly the most dangerous batsman in the tournament and with an average of 56 to go along with an incredible strike rate of 184.21 this season, there is no doubt that AB de Villiers can decide a T20 game on his own. He has no pronounced weakness against any type of bowling and has the ability to take any bowling attack to the cleaners. If KKR are to avoid a repeat of the previous game, then they must find a way to dismiss him. Keeping him quiet isn’t really a realistic option.

In Sunil Narine, KKR have one of the best spinners in T20 cricket and he would be the one tasked with going toe to toe with the South African tonight. De Villiers’s strike rate hasn’t dropped below 150 against any type of bowling (since 2015 and therein lies the challenge of bowling to someone like him. Narine, the master spinner, would need to be at his best if he is to get De Villiers out and whoever wins this battle will most probably end up on the winning side.

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